Alibaba Group Chairman Joe Tsai announced on Thursday that the company and Apple were collaborating to introduce AI for Chinese-sold iPhones.
TakeAway Points:
- Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Thursday, Alibaba Group Chairman Joe Tsai reaffirmed his company’s AI collaboration with Apple.
- Alibaba and Apple shares surged after The Information first reported the partnership on Tuesday.
- Apple started the Apple Health Study to investigate how gadgets can track and forecast users’ health.
Alibaba’s AI will be included in Apple iPhones in China
He was delivering a speech at the Dubai World Governments Summit.
″Apple talked to a number of companies in China, and in the end, they chose to do business with us. They want to use our AI to power their phones,” Tsai said.
The partnership was first reported by tech-focused news organization The Information on Tuesday, triggering a jump in Alibaba and Apple shares.
Hong Kong-listed shares of Alibaba surged on Thursday to hit their highest level since 2022 during the intraday session before paring the gains, last up 2.5%.
The announcement could provide clarity on Apple’s AI strategy in China, helping it better tackle growing competition as the iPhone’s market share erodes in the world’s largest smartphone market.
While domestic rivals such as Huawei have touted AI features on their devices since last year, Apple has been quiet about its ‘Apple Intelligence’ push in the market, despite plans to launch in the U.S. this fall.
Apple Intelligence is the Cupertino-based company’s plan to bring AI across its devices, featuring an improved version of its voice assistant Siri, as well as features that automatically organize emails and transcribe and summarize audio.
Analysts have said that Apple’s AI rollout in China has likely stalled due to China’s stringent rules on the technology.
Beijing has enacted various regulations on AI in recent years, with some of the rules requiring large language models to get approval for commercial use. Generative AI providers are also responsible for taking down “illegal” content.
However, Tsai said Thursday that the Alibaba partnership could offer Apple a local partner to help it navigate the regulatory environment and localize its AI.
Alibaba is among China’s technology giants that have built their own large language models and voice assistants.
Apple Conducts First Major Health Research In 5 Years
Apple announced Wednesday that it is expanding its involvement in healthcare research by starting a new, multi-year study called the Apple Health Study.
The study will analyze how data from devices such as iPhones, AirPods and Apple Watches can monitor, manage and predict changes in users’ health. It will also explore connections between different components of health, such as how mental health affects heart rate.
The Apple Health Study is the first major health research project the company has announced since it unveiled the Apple Women’s Health Study, the Apple Hearing Study and the Apple Heart and Movement Study in 2019. Those projects are ongoing, and they have inspired many of the health features that Apple has introduced in recent years.
Apple rolled out a hearing test in the fall, for instance, which was developed using insights from the Apple Hearing Study, the company said.
The study and product development
The new study will likely influence future product development. Apple CEO Tim Cook previously said he believes health features will be the company’s “most important contribution to people.”
“We’re thrilled to bring forward the Apple Health Study, which will only accelerate our understanding of health and technology across the human body, both physically and mentally,” Dr. Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of health, said in a statement.
The Apple Health Study will be available through the company’s Research app, and participation is voluntary. Users will select each data type they are willing to share with researchers, and they can stop sharing or completely discontinue their participation at any time.
Apple has no access to participants’ identifiable information, the company said.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a research hospital, is collaborating with Apple on the study. The project will last at least five years and may expand beyond that.
“We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of how technology can improve our understanding of human health,” Dr. Calum MacRae, the principal investigator of the study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said in a statement.
