Summary

This chapter gave a brief introduction to the field of deep learning for developers. We started with how an artificial neural network mimics the working of our own nervous system. We showed the basic unit of this artificial neural network, the perceptron. We showed how perceptrons can be used to depict logical functions and we later moved on to show their pitfalls. Later, we learnt how the perceptron's usage can be enhanced by making modifications to it, leading us to the artificial neuron, the sigmoid neuron. Further we also covered a sample case study for the classification of Iris flower species based on the features that were used to train our neural network. We also mentioned how the Java library Deeplearning4j includes many deep learning algorithms that can be integrated with Apache Spark on the Java big data stack. Finally, we provided readers with information on where they can find free resources to learn more.