What Is Deep Learning and How Does It Work?

A few years ago, the idea of artificial intelligence was futuristic. In fact, if someone told you that there would be self-driving cars, you would easily brush that off as a wishful thought. A few years later, we are deep amid artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the complex neural network architecture that runs deep learning. These developments have given rise to new careers and tech, increasing the need for experts in the vast field. Deep learning mimics the human brain to create sophisticated tasks that can perform tasks autonomously, which could soon revolutionize our world through intelligent automation technologies used virtually everywhere.

What Is Deep Learning: Complete Explanation

There is a saying that with age comes experience. As people age, they gain more life experiences and lessons. This is not that different from how AI-powered machines learn through the data fed into them. Therefore the output you get depends on the quality and quantity of data that runs through the system. In artificial intelligence, machines use deep learning to perform tasks like driving cars without human help.

Deep Learning: An Exact Definition

Deep learning is a branch of machine learning that focuses on learning and perfecting its output by utilizing artificial neural networks. This field borrows a lot from how humans process information and learn. It is an expansive field that goes beyond standard computing capabilities to complex structures, algorithms, and systems that work towards autonomous functionality in various fields. Through deep thinking, computers can learn and react to situations more efficiently than humans. This explains why computers are now used in driving cars, language translation, and image classification applications.

The History of Deep Learning

Deep learning has evolved rapidly over the past few decades, with its roots tracing back to the 1940s. In its initial phase, researchers focused on neural networks that mimicked specific parts of how our brains operate. However, due to limited processing power and data, this pioneering phase lost momentum after a while. The re-emergence of deep learning came naturally in parallel with the tremendous amounts of data being generated in today’s digitalized world matched by efficient processors that could perform massive calculations within seconds.

Scientists initially tried using these powerful new tools for simple speech recognition challenges. Eventually, they learned that their capabilities extended much farther than identifying individual words spoken aloud or written on paper. In a short time, deep learning had accomplished remarkable breakthroughs, e.g., identifying objects accurately in images nearly as well as we humans do it. And just like our eyes learn features at different levels, from edges to shapes to texture, these deep nets have succeeded well beyond expectations. Predictive text suggestions also experienced an overhaul due to natural language processing models’ better representation. Of course who can forget AlphaGo — Google’s AI-powered software beating world-champion Go players without breaking a sweat? Researchers continue trying several novel approaches to improve already-perfected techniques and expand deep-learning usage in other domains.

How Does Deep Learning Work?

Think about how we learn something new. Let’s say we’re trying to recognize our friend’s face. We might start by looking at a picture of them and labeling each part of their face, eyes, nose, mouth, etc. Next, we might compare that image to others and look for similar features. Over time, as we see more pictures of our friends or even different people with similar facial features, our brain gets better at recognizing them. This concept forms the basis of deep learning, using algorithms inspired by the human brain to recognize patterns in data.

Essentially, deep learning models develop their understanding and categorization system as they analyze more data. One commonly used method is through neural networks, interconnected layers of nodes that process information from previous layers before outputting an answer. These layers are then adjusted through a training process until accurate results are achieved. But it doesn’t stop there.

Thanks to advancements in technology and access to huge amounts of data, there are endless possibilities for deep learning applications. These include natural language processing such as chatbots, image recognition, and even healthcare decisions (making medical diagnoses).

What Are the Applications of Deep Learning?

Deep learning has various applications, including:

• Computer vision: Deep learning enables machines to recognize objects and images, which helps researchers solve many scientific problems like facial recognition or autonomous vehicle navigation.
• Customer experience: Businesses now utilize chatbots to respond promptly to customers’ queries, reducing the turnaround time. Chatbots use deep learning to provide accurate feedback based on available data. The prompt response improves customer satisfaction and brand reputation.
• Text generation: Content creators and marketing specialists are now leveraging the immense capabilities of Natural Language Processing (NLP) which use deep learning to generate texts. As technology advances, we expect better text outputs without grammar errors.  
• Aerospace and military: military and aerospace sectors leverage deep learning to detect objects in space and provide crucial feedback for decision-making.
• Industrial automation: Besides automating processes in industries and warehouses, machines now operate through deep learning to protect workers from the risks of being hurt by machines.
• Medical research: Thanks to technologies like deep learning, the healthcare sector has made massive strides through technology. Researchers can now implement this technology in detecting complex cancer cells in the early stages.

Examples of Deep Learning in the Real World

Agriculture

Farmers have the advantage of leveraging AI in modern farming. Weeding and spraying pesticides has been easy with machines that identify and differentiate crops from weeds. Large-scale farming is now effortless thanks to machines that use deep learning to apply fertilizers, run irrigation systems, and bring in the harvest. It is also possible to predict yields following rain patterns and soil moisture. This allows farmers to plan their resources well. Through deeper learning algorithms, it is also possible to capture pests before they damage crops and thus mitigate the effects.

Robotics

Recently, we have seen a rise in robot applications. This growth can be attributed to deep learning and advancement in artificial intelligence. Robots can sense and react to their surroundings using artificial intelligence. That’s why they can pick objects to avoid obstacles and navigate their path without collisions. The sensor robots use leverage deep learning to guide their operations. As this field advances, we expect robots to continue being effective and efficient in performing tasks just like humans. 

Healthcare and Medical Imaging

Medical advancements are continuously pushing technology boundaries, and deep learning offers incredible possibilities. Medical imaging has been simplified and improved thanks to the unique combination of high-quality data and convolutional neural. Unlike a few years ago, cancers are easier to detect in their early stages, paving the way for timely treatments.

Final Thoughts

Technology has paved the way for things we never imagined possible a few years ago. No one ever thought of the possibility of machines that could mimic human brains and perform tasks independently without the need for human help. But that reality is here with us. Deep learning stretches the limits of artificial intelligence and computing power to release incredible performance in industries like medicine, agriculture, and the military.

The recent concept of self-driving cars that has taken the world by storm has its basis in deep learning. The complex deep learning and artificial intelligence frameworks have revolutionized most sectors. As deep learning models evolve with more complex and advanced architectures, we expect incredible performance and capabilities in the near future.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Jirsak/Shutterstock.com.