In October 2023, researchers at Apple and Columbia University released a large open source multimodal language model called Ferret intended for research purposes only.
These types of large language models didn't attract much attention at the time, but that has since changed with the open source Mistral model making headlines recently.
There is increasing talk about the possibility of running large formats in the local language on small devices.
Apple has published two new papers presenting new techniques for 3D avatars and language model inference.
These advances enable immersive visual experiences and enable cutting-edge AI systems to operate on consumer devices like iPhones and iPads.
Many people in the AI community noticed Ferret's release and said that this large language model represents Apple's entry into the field of open source large language models.
“Apple joined the open source AI community in October,” Bart de Wit, who leads a European nonprofit focused on open source AI in medicine, wrote in an article. Ferret demonstrates Apple's commitment to impactful AI research and reinforces its position as a leader in multimedia AI. »
“I look forward to the day when Apple runs large native-language forms on iPhone as an integrated service on the redesigned iOS platform,” he added.
Technology blogger Ben Dixon wrote in a post on his LinkedIn account: “I did not expect Apple to open a large language model despite the non-commercial license,” adding that Apple is a closed system, a secret development. and confidentiality agreements. “And not revealing details or filing a patent for every part of their product.”
“It makes sense for Apple to enter the large open source language modeling market,” Discon added. “Apple has many resources that allow it to compete with ChatGPT, even though its infrastructure is not designed to serve large language models at scale. Therefore, the solution is to rely on cloud providers or start releasing large language models open source, Similar to Meta.
News of Apple's open source LLM program comes as Anthropic and OpenAI negotiate new funding to significantly increase LLM development efforts.
Buy on amazon