According to The New York Times, the White House and congressional officials have been examining Apple's potential agreement with Alibaba to integrate the Chinese company's AI into iPhones sold in China. The report, published Saturday, cites three individuals familiar with the situation. Concerns have been raised by U.S. authorities regarding the potential for this agreement to bolster a Chinese company's AI capabilities. It may also expand the influence of Chinese chatbots that operate under censorship restrictions and increase Apple's susceptibility to Beijing's regulations concerning censorship and data sharing.

Neither Apple nor Alibaba have provided immediate responses to Reuters' requests for comments on the matter. In February 2025, Alibaba verified its collaboration with Apple to facilitate AI service offerings on iPhones within China. This partnership represents a substantial achievement for Alibaba in China's competitive AI landscape, which includes companies like DeepSeek. DeepSeek has gained recognition for developing models at significantly lower costs than its Western counterparts.

Reuters has not independently verified the accuracy of the NYT report.