Deep Learning: What’s The Craze?

AI Amplified 🚀
4 min readAug 11, 2023

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Welcome back to our little corner of the internet! Today we’re exploring another “What’s The Craze” with Deep Learning. If you enjoy this type of “What’s The Craze” content, then let me know for more! Let’s begin!

I did not make this image.

Deep Learning Defined!

Deep Learning? You’ve probably heard this phrase being thrown around the internet a couple of times, and wondered what it meant. Well, imagine teaching a computer to recognise a cat from a dog, not by explicitly telling it the differences but by showing it thousands of pictures. Deep learning is that brilliant student in the world of AI that learns directly from examples, just like we do. It’s a subset of machine learning that focuses on creating intricate neural networks — think of them as digital brain networks — that can learn and make decisions on their own.

Here’s how it works: Picture a virtual brain made up of layers, much like the layers of information processing in our own brain. The first layer takes in the raw data, like the pixels of an image, and starts to identify basic features. These features, like edges and curves in an image, are passed to the next layer, which combines them to recognize more complex shapes. As information flows through the layers, the network becomes capable of recognizing intricate patterns — maybe a paw, an ear, or a tail. This way, deep learning systems can distinguish cats from dogs without needing clear instructions.

What is Backpropagation?

But what’s fascinating is that deep learning doesn’t stop at identification. It refines itself through a process called backpropagation. When the network makes a mistake, it adjusts the connections between its virtual neurons to get better at its task. This trial-and-error approach, along with its layered structure, enables deep learning to tackle complex challenges like language translation, medical diagnosis, and even aid the tech behind self-driving cars. Deep learning is the digital realm’s answer to learning from experience — a glimpse into how AI mimics our cognitive processes, which allows it to solve large-scale problems with accurate solutions.

Examples of Deep Learning

Here are some examples of where Deep Learning is used:

Image Recognition:

Deep learning shines in image recognition tasks. For instance, think of how your smartphone can identify faces that appear in photos. Deep learning models, like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), process visual data layer by layer, learning to identify features and patterns, as we learnt before. This enables them to recognize objects, animals, and even (through further development) emotions depicted in images.

Thank you to Apple for the image.

Healthcare Diagnosis:

Deep learning aids in medical diagnosis by analyzing medical images, such as X-rays and MRIs. Models can identify anomalies, tumors, and diseases with remarkable accuracy. Additionally, deep learning helps predict patient outcomes based on their medical history and records, enabling personalised treatment plans that wouldn’t be possible without the technology used.

An MRI — Credits

Autonomous Vehicles:

Self-driving cars rely heavily on deep learning to interpret their surroundings. Deep neural networks process data from cameras, sensors and LiDAR. This enables the vehicle to recognize road signs, pedestrians, other vehicles, and navigate complex environments safely.

Inside a Tesla — Credits

Yeah — So What’s The Craze?

The craze over deep learning is likely due to its remarkable ability to mimic human-like intelligence and solve complex problems with impressive accuracy. This technology has pushed the boundaries of what artificial intelligence can achieve, opening doors to a range of groundbreaking applications that were once considered out of reach (at least for us inhabitants of the modern day).

Deep learning algorithms can learn by themselves from data, picking out important details and patterns. This skill makes deep learning great at tasks like recognizing images, understanding speech, and grasping language. That’s why industries like healthcare, finance, and entertainment are using it to improve how things work and make users happier. An the simple fact that this tech can improve or aid so many industries from a wide spectrum is one of the main factors playing on its popularity.

Thank you for reading this article, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt something from it. (Note: this is shorter than my usual articles because I am travelling). See you in the next one!

Note: as of today my articles will be posted at the usual time but in a different time zone. Thank you.

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AI Amplified 🚀
AI Amplified 🚀

Written by AI Amplified 🚀

The commonplace for people who are curious about technology and AI. And yes, my profile picture was generated by DALL-E, a generative AI by OpenAI.

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