The world of technology has been evolving rapidly and introducing concepts that until decades ago were unthinkable. This is the case of deep learning, a “branch” of machine learning that is becoming very popular these days.
And even if you’ve never heard of this term, you’ve certainly used it, since deep learning is present in many technologies used today. In that sense, we can account for some streaming video services, music and mobile operating systems — the Face ID of the latest iPhones is an example of this.
That said, let’s better understand how deep learning works, its basic premises, main uses and other curiosities about this topic. Enjoy reading below!
What is deep learning?
Deep learning is a machine learning segment that is based on artificial neural network technology. It works by identifying patterns, which allow for deep processing to gain some learning.
Neural networks, on the other hand, in practice act as a “simulator” of the human brain, where the main objective is to create dynamic results from a set of data. These networks seek to emulate the behavior of neurons, turning computers into real learning machines.
For comparison purposes, while a traditional neural network has three layers, one input, one output and one intermediate, a deep learning network has more than one intermediate layer. The more layers, the deeper the network and, depending on the data at hand, the greater the capacity for it to learn.
Source: A Layman’s Guide to Deep Neural Networks
So, in order to advance in understanding this concept, let’s learn a little more about the history of deep learning and artificial neural networks.
How did deep learning and artificial neural networks come about?
As we said before, deep learning is a machine learning segment that acts as a basis for neural networks. The latter were already theorized in the 50s, when the first scientific records signaled the attempt to reproduce the human brain.
However, the low computational processing capacity at the time was a major barrier to making progress in this field possible. Early computers were slow, clunky, and couldn’t function for a long time.
But that changed with the evolution of computing in later decades. If in the past gigantic computers did not have enough power to process data, currently even mobile devices can receive functionalities of the category.
Source: 5 ways Deep Learning is changing our day-to-day life
That said, deep neural networks were taken from the paper and thus opened up new ways for computers to learn from real data and solve everyday problems for people, companies and industries.
Practical applications: how does deep learning work?
The functioning of deep learning, in the macro sense, is very simple. In an abstract way, we can say that the neural network uses the concept of neurons to understand patterns and, thus, transform data into useful information.
So, with more layers of neurons, it becomes possible to learn more complex characteristics from the data, which increases the capacity, it is possible to increase the intelligence capacity of a computational device, which helps in the design of amazing tools.
Therefore, deep learning, as the name suggests, allows computational learning to delve deeply into the data and extract more useful information from it for real applications.
At this point, we imagine you’re wondering what the real and practical application of this technology is, right? After what we’ve talked about here, it’s natural for this doubt to happen. And, in this sense, we can say that the functioning of deep learning is extremely useful on a daily basis.
Check out some applications:
- Image Processing;
- Natural Language Processing;
- Applications in Medicine;
- Image Recognition Applications, whether faces, animals, vehicles etc;
- Assistance in the diagnosis of breast cancer, alzheimer’s, cardiovascular diseases, skin cancer and strokes;
- Applications in drug development;
- News recommendations;
- Serial and music recommendations on your favorite streaming;
- Among other applications.
It is still unclear what a neural network and the concept of deep learning is? So, we separated this educational video to clarify the doubts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfmFfD2RIcg
Neural Network In 5 Minutes | What Is A Neural Network? | How Neural Networks Work | Simplilearn
Also read: Myths about Machine Learning: 12 items to know and understand more about the concept
The future is just beginning
Machine learning is still taking its first steps in the real world. Despite already being used by many companies, there is still a very long way to go and we are sure to see many uses for this fascinating technology.
In general, we can say that the possibilities are countless, and it is up to developers to use the technology in the best possible way, as the need arises and, likewise, the computational capacity allows.
But the only certainty that remains is that deep learning — and other segments of machine learning — will revolutionize the computing sector to provide incredible results in the areas of entertainment, health, marketing, economics, among others.
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