Deep Learning Illustrated: A Visual, Interactive Guide to Artificial Intelligence

6. Artificial Neurons Detecting Hot Dogs

Having received tantalizing exposure to applications of deep learning in the first part of this book and having coded up a functioning neural network in Chapter 5, the moment has come to delve into the nitty-gritty theory underlying these capabilities. We begin by dissecting artificial neurons, the units that—when wired together—constitute an artificial neural network.

Biological Neuroanatomy 101

As presented in the opening paragraphs of this book, ersatz neurons are inspired by biological ones. Given that, let’s take a gander at Figure 6.1 for a précis of the first lecture in any neuroanatomy course: A given biological neuron receives input into its cell body from many (generally thousands) of dendrites ...