In a surprise move, researchers from Apple and Cornell University introduced an open-source multimodal LLM, dubbed “Ferret,” which can utilize image regions for queries. Released quietly on Github in October with no accompanying fanfare, Ferret has now gained attention from AI researchers, with industry experts applauding Apple’s commitment to impactful AI research. Despite its non-commercial license, there’s speculation about the potential integration of Ferret into future Apple products or services. Notably, Twitter posts by Apple’s AI/ML research scientist provide insight into Ferret’s capabilities, explaining how it can identify and respond to specific elements within an image, offering precise understanding of small image regions.