Understanding the field of deep learning

As we mentioned in the introduction, deep learning is a subset or branch of the machine learning space that focuses on developing models using neural networks. The idea behind using neural networks for deep learning derives from neural networks found in the human brain. Let's learn more about this.

Neural networks

Similar to machine learning, the idea behind developing deep learning models is not to explicitly define the steps in which a decision or prediction is made. The main idea here is to generalize from the data. Deep learning makes this possible by drawing a parallel between the dendrites, cell body, and synapses of the human brain, which, within the context of deep learning, act as inputs, nodes, and outputs for a given model, as shown in the following diagram:

Figure 8.1 – Comparison between the human brain and a neural network

Some of the biggest benefits behind such an implementation revolve...