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What are Neural Networks

We find out what neural networks are, why they are needed and in what areas of business they are now used.

What is a neural network?

A neural network is defined as a cluster of neurons that can collectively recognize some phenomenon or object. This cluster learns, acts sequentially, remembers data, is able to process requests and give out information. This is how neural connections work in the human brain, which is why neural networks are called artificial intelligence. Source link

In their current form, human-created neural networks are under their complete control. Often they perform utilitarian functions and are machine learning models “sharpened” to perform a few specific tasks. Scientists and developers “feed” artificial intelligence with data, and it responds by processing it in the right way. For example, it makes sad faces in a photo look cheerful or substitutes a downloaded voice for another person’s voice.

Where are neural networks used?

There are thousands of scenarios for using artificial intelligence.

• Google and Yandex search analyzes online data using machine learning models.
• Mobile photo apps use artificial intelligence to automatically adjust color correction or white balance.
• Photo editors can remove any object from a photo without consequences, thanks to artificial intelligence.
• Chatbots on many websites and in banking applications are real robots based on neural networks.
• The videos where presidents of different countries sing oppening tracks from anime are also made by artificial intelligence.

And this is just a small part of the applications and services that already make full use of artificial intelligence. In fact, there are many more. Robots sort the photos in your media library, suggest the best songs on Spotify, learn to predict your actions, and build the modern Internet on this skill.

What tasks do neural networks solve?

If we look at AI globally, it often simplifies and speeds up solving tasks.

For example, a neural network helps personalize content based on human interests. Neural networks have found such applications in advertising. Machine learning helps to find the target audience and show them relevant ad units in automatic mode solely based on previously obtained data about users. Similar systems are used in any service where it is necessary to recommend certain content to people. Similar music, similar videos, similar clothes and so on. All this is cleverly picked up by soulless machines.

Neural networks also take on creative tasks. They try to create logos and fonts, for example. This helps to quickly prepare a unique design for their site without hiring specialists or wasting too many resources on working with a live person.

There are other variants of tasks to be solved, but they all have in common the fact that neural networks are trying to displace human beings from any industry.

How can neural networks be used?

Now let’s look at more specific examples of how to use AI.

Commercial options

Here are the main uses of artificial intelligence in e-commerce.

• Artificial intelligence behind Yandex or Google is gradually learning to recognize good content without focusing on keywords. Because of this, the approach to content writing has changed. It has to be written for real people, not for search engines.
• Photos and videos are also recognized by the search robot. Due to this, sites filled with media content get an additional advantage. There are more ways to find them online.
• Neural networks are good at voice recognition, and people are actively using that. Therefore one of the main trends of the future will be the adaptation of the Internet to work with voice. Voice search in applications is becoming the default option.
• Neural networks can be used to communicate with people. They answer basic questions, help with the selection of goods and services, with the solution of many typical problems and with the issuing of required data. In many cases, a live “consultant” is not needed at all. Chat-bots and voice bots do their job well.
• A neural network can be made to do the design. For example Turbologo can generate logos by brand name.
• There are services like Shikari able to search for clients in social networks, forums, blogs, etc.
• And artificial intelligence can also take care of mailing lists on its own.

Non-commercial options

Neural networks can be used not only in business. They can come in handy in everyday life too, that is, not for developing websites or making a profit.

• Nvidia neural network allows you to remove any objects from photos online. Right in your browser, without any special software! Everything happens on the company’s servers and is processed by artificial intelligence.
• Boring’s neural network can improve image quality by restoring image detail by detail. 
• The AutoDraw project from Google turns any scribble into a full-fledged illustration. All you have to do is make a sketch, and a neural network will think about what you have tried to draw and turn it into a neat picture.
• There are applications that can explain to you in English how a website should look like, and they will turn it into a real page with HTML markup and JavaScript code. And this really works in popular IDEs like VS Code.

As you can see, the possibilities of neural networks are limited only by human imagination. Robots write music, create websites, generate slogans, pretend to be people, publish articles, sell expensive logos to the government, and, together with doctors, look for a way to cure cancer. This is an extremely promising direction, which is equally useful in commercial activities and in everyday life.

In the future, the influence of neural networks on the Internet will only increase, so advertisers already have to adapt and change their strategies. Neural networks will affect everyone’s lives without exception.