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📚 Principles of Data Science
Chapters ▾
1 What Are Data and Data Science?2 Collecting and Preparing Data3 Descriptive Statistics: Statistical Measurements and Probability Distributions4 Inferential Statistics and Regression Analysis5 Time Series and Forecasting6 Decision-Making Using Machine Learning Basics7 Deep Learning and AI Basics8 Ethics Throughout the Data Science Cycle9 Visualizing Data10 Reporting Results

Chapter 7: Deep Learning and AI Basics

Illustration of the human brain as a neural network.
Figure 7.1 Neural networks are central to modern AI, especially in the fields of deep learning and machine learning. Inspired by the human brain's structure and functioning, neural networks consist of interconnected layers of artificial neurons designed to recognize patterns, learn from data, and make decisions or predictions.Neural networks are central to modern AI, especially in the fields of deep learning and machine learning. Inspired by the human brain's structure and functioning, neural networks consist of interconnected layers of artificial neurons designed to recognize patterns, learn from data, and make decisions or predictions. (credit: modification of work "Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence" by www.vpnsrus.com/mikemacmarketing, CC BY 2.0)

How does the human brain learn new information? This question has puzzled scientists for ages. The field of neuroscience is dedicated to finding out how the brain functions, but there are still so many things that we do not know. One major advance was the discovery of how neurons link up with one another inside the brain to make vast networks. Unlike manufactured electronic circuits that either send electronic signals or not, neurons in the brain fire at various strengths. The receiving neurons then transmit information by converting stimuli into electrical impulses, thereby deciding how important the incoming signals are and sending out signals in turn. It is thought that information is carried by the pattern of impulses in time over many groups of neurons. The net result is a complex “machine” whose function relies on trillions of connections, each with the ability to send signals along a continuum of intensity and with the capability of changing its structure when new information is encountered! This chapter will delve into the topics of deep learning and artificial intelligence.