Deep learning is a subfield of machine learning, which is, in turn, a subfield of artificial intelligence with a central goal of using algorithms modelled like a human brain with a lot of data.
Deep learning has been around since the 1940s, going by different names and incarnations based on various schools of thought and popular research trends at a given time. At the very core, deep learning belongs to the family of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), a set of algorithms that learn patterns inspired by the structure and function of the brain.
In simple terms, the difference between neural networks and deep learning is that deep learning has a lot of layers compared with neural networks.
How does deep learning work?
Deep learning at its core, is formed by Neural networks, which are algorithms that are inspired by how the brain works. And neural networks are formed by neurons, which are layers of computational nodes that interact and connect with each other, just like the neurons in the human brain.
Training with large amounts of data is what configures the neurons in the neural network and this results in a model that is trained and can process new data without the intervention of humans.
Deep learning as a field has had significant growth because of these factors:
High computing power - Due to faster computers and highly optimized hardware (i.e GPUs), we are able to train neural networks with many layers.
Large, labelled data - Being in the era of big data, a lot of data is being produced every day which is an important requirement to have train performing deep learning models.
Most of us encounter deep learning every day when we browse the internet or use our mobile phones. Among countless other applications, deep learning is used to generate captions for YouTube videos, perform speech recognition on phones and smart speakers, provide facial recognition, and enable self-driving cars.
And as data scientists and researchers tackle increasingly complex deep learning projects—leveraging deep learning frameworks—this type of artificial intelligence will only become a bigger part of our daily lives.
