Apple Brings Alibaba’s Qwen to Siri on Macs in China

Apple’s rollout of Apple Intelligence in China has lagged overseas markets because of regulatory and data-localisation requirements, preventing the company from simply replicating its ChatGPT integration. China’s Cyberspace Administration cleared Apple’s generative-AI service in July 2026, with Alibaba Group’s Qwen selected as a local model partner. The arrangement is strategically important for Apple as Chinese rivals increasingly make in-house AI assistants central to their devices, while giving Alibaba distribution through Apple’s operating systems.

Apple published a Chinese-language support guide on Aug. 7, 2026, confirming that eligible Mac users in mainland China can connect Qwen to Siri and Writing Tools. The extension requires macOS 26.6 or later and a signed-in Qwen account; Apple’s document said Alibaba may not use submitted material to train or improve its models. The initial rollout covers Macs, with Alibaba saying Qwen is ultimately expected to support Apple Intelligence across iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS in China.