STORY: Apple appears to be facing trouble with AI in China.
Tech publication The Information says it’s struggling to adapt Baidu’s artificial intelligence models for its phones.
The report says there are problems with the model’s understanding of prompts, and its accuracy in responding to common scenarios.
Elsewhere in the world, Apple uses tech from ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.
But AI systems from U.S. firms are unavailable in China, leaving the market to local companies.
Neither firm commented on the report.
But if confirmed it would be bad news for Apple in a very tough market.
Recent figures showed its phone sales slipping 0.3% in China in the third quarter – while local rival Huawei posted a 42% surge.
And AI is a key battleground.
Apple’s launch of its latest iPhone 16 in September drew scorn in China for lacking the new technology.
The Information says the tech giant’s privacy policies also block collection of data from iPhone users who make AI-related queries – data that Baidu wants to save and analyze.
The report says the Chinese firm’s latest model – Ernie 4.0 – is the basis for the iPhone services.
