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Artificial Neural Network

What is an artificial neural network?
Artificial neural networks are one of the main tools used in machine learning. As the “neural” part of their name suggests, they are brain-inspired systems which are intended to replicate the way that we humans learn. Neural networks consist of input and output layers, as well as (in most cases) a hidden layer consisting of units that transform the input into something that the output layer can use. They are excellent tools for finding patterns which are far too complex or numerous for a human programmer to extract and teach the machine to recognize.
While neural networks (also called “perceptrons”) have been around since the 1940s, it is only in the last several decades where they have become a major part of artificial intelligence. This is due to the arrival of a technique called “backpropagation,” which allows networks to adjust their hidden layers of neurons in situations where the outcome doesn’t match what the creator is hoping for — like a network designed to recognize dogs, which misidentifies a cat, for example.
Another important advance has been the arrival of deep learning neural networks, in which different layers of a multilayer network extract different features until it can recognize what it is looking for.
How many types of neural network are there?
There are multiple types of neural network, each of which come with their own specific use cases and levels of complexity. The most basic type of neural net is something called a feedforward neural network, in which information travels in only one direction from input to output.
A more widely used type of network is the recurrent neural network, in which data can flow in multiple directions. These neural networks possess greater learning abilities and are widely employed for more complex tasks such as learning handwriting or language recognition.
There are also convolutional neural networks, Boltzmann machine networks, Hopfield networks, and a variety of others. Picking the right network for your task depends on the data you have to train it with, and the specific application you have in mind. In some cases, it may be desirable to use multiple approaches, such as would be the case with a challenging task like voice recognition.
Do neural networks have any limitations?
On a technical level, one of the bigger challenges is the amount of time it takes to train networks, which can require a considerable amount of compute power for more complex tasks. The biggest issue, however, is that neural networks are “black boxes,” in which the user feeds in data and receives answers. They can fine-tune the answers, but they don’t have access to the exact decision making process.

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