At a time when many people treat AI and large models as the primary interaction gateway, the frequency with which many apps are opened has noticeably declined. Will AI eventually replace apps? On November 4, at the "AI Technology Innovation and Governance Forum" during the 2026 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) Vice President and Managing Director of Greater China Ge Yue offered her answer: No.

She stated: "We firmly believe that AI will not replace apps. Instead, it will make next-generation apps more powerful, more personalized, and even more indispensable tools in people's lives."

AI will not replace apps, but make them more powerful

Ge Yue said that within the vast Apple ecosystem, the company has always believed in developers and in the boundless potential of apps. Chinese developers are extremely innovative and dynamic. Last year, the Apple App Store ecosystem facilitated $562 billion in developer billings and sales, an increase of $23 billion from the previous year. Particularly encouraging is the globalization pace of Chinese developers: three-quarters of Chinese developers have expanded their business overseas, with overseas revenue accounting for more than 50%.

In Ge Yue's view, AI is not a "replacement" for apps, but an "amplifier" for next-generation apps. She noted that on the App Store, app categories deeply integrated with AI technologies such as graphics and imaging, real-time translation, and intelligent recognition are growing most rapidly. Globally, the pace of new app submissions continues to accelerate, indicating that AI tools are significantly boosting developers' build and iteration efficiency, helping them innovate.

AI only has value when it truly serves people

The intelligent wave is transforming how companies innovate. Ge Yue stated that AI is bringing unprecedented and profound changes to the world, "but for us, the direction has always been clear: technology must always serve people. Through open and responsible industry collaboration and adherence to data security and privacy standards, we are fully capable of ensuring through innovation that AI becomes a positive force for a more inclusive, green, and prosperous society."

Apple firmly believes that only when AI truly serves people and addresses real-life pain points can it unleash its most profound humanistic value. In the health sector, one of Apple's most representative breakthroughs is the "Sleep Apnea Notifications" feature, which has already launched in China. Moreover, Apple is collaborating with top Chinese hospitals to use Apple Watch and AI algorithms to detect early signs of heart failure in advance. Technology can save lives — this is the true value of AI.

To make AI a tool for good, Apple's original aspiration has always been to be a "tool maker." Apple is committed to building intuitive, easy-to-use, and warm tools that unlock everyone's creative potential and help solve complex real-world problems.

AI lowers development barriers, on-device capabilities serve as the backbone

AI is truly democratizing digital creativity. Ge Yue said that with innovative tools such as AI-assisted programming, the barrier for developers has been greatly lowered, and even those without a computer science background can turn their inspirations into reality. "Apple chips are a powerful backbone — ultra-large, ultra-fast unified memory, combined with top-tier energy efficiency, make phones and Macs the best devices for running on-device AI." Ge Yue introduced that Apple has added a code assistant to its development tools and even opened foundational models directly to developers to help create richer on-device AI experiences. At the Apple Developer Center in Shanghai, developers from across the country can meet face-to-face with Apple experts to refine their products. She stated that as long as developers have good ideas, Apple can provide end-to-end support from development and secure on-device operation to global distribution. "AI empowers developers — everyone can become a developer."

From university innovation contests to factory training, continuously empowering people

Ge Yue mentioned that over the past decade, Apple has been running the national university mobile app innovation contest, covering all provinces in China and helping more than 50,000 students unleash their creativity. In the Apple App Incubator established last year, 95% of the first cohort of teams used AI to assist development — whether for personalized AI learning tutoring or travel assistants for the visually impaired, participants widely applied AI to solve real-life challenges.

At the same time, Apple also provides professional training through its $50 million Supplier Employee Development Fund. Recently, Apple specifically developed a new course focused on "AI applications in smart manufacturing," which has already been rolled out at more than 30 factories nationwide. It also offers training in multiple fields including machine vision, robotics, and app development, helping employees grow into technicians or engineers.

From health features to the developer ecosystem, Ge Yue's remarks echo an earlier judgment: AI is not a replacement for apps, but an "amplifier" for next-generation apps. As she said, technology must always serve people, and only when AI truly solves real-life pain points can it unleash its most profound humanistic value.