Demystifying neural networks
Here comes probably the most frequently mentioned model in the media, artificial neural networks (ANNs); more often we just call them neural networks. Interestingly, the neural network has been (falsely) considered equivalent to machine learning or artificial intelligence by the general public.
The ANN is just one type of algorithm among many in machine learning. And machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence. It is one of the ways we achieve general artificial intelligence.
Regardless, it is one of the most important machine learning models and has been rapidly evolving along with the revolution of deep learning (DL). Let's first understand how neural networks work.
Starting with a single-layer neural network
I will first talk about different layers in a network, then the activation function, and finally training a network with backpropagation.
Layers in neural networks
A simple...