Definition - What does Artificial Neural Network (ANN)

mean?
An artificial neuron network (ANN) is a computational model based on the structure and
functions of biological neural networks. Information that flows through the network affects the
structure of the ANN because a neural network changes - or learns, in a sense - based on that
input and output.
ANNs are considered nonlinear statistical data modeling tools where the complex relationships
between inputs and outputs are modeled or patterns are found.
ANN is also known as a neural network.

Techopedia explains Artificial Neural Network (ANN)

An ANN has several advantages but one of the most recognized of these is the fact that it can
actually learn from observing data sets. In this way, ANN is used as a random function
approximation tool. These types of tools help estimate the most cost-effective and ideal methods
for arriving at solutions while defining computing functions or distributions. ANN takes data
samples rather than entire data sets to arrive at solutions, which saves both time and money.
ANNs are considered fairly simple mathematical models to enhance existing data analysis
technologies.
ANNs have three layers that are interconnected. The first layer consists of input neurons. Those
neurons send data on to the second layer, which in turn sends the output neurons to the third
layer.
Training an artificial neural network involves choosing from allowed models for which there are
several associated algorithms.
Posted by: Cory Janssen

What is the difference between artificial intelligence and

neural networks?
By Andrew Beattie, November 18, 2011

Takeaway: Artificial intelligence may one day be achieved by using artificial neural networks,
but there are several key differences between these exciting technologies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and artificial neural networks (ANN) are two exciting and
intertwined fields in computer science. There are, however, several differences
between the two that are worth knowing about.
The key difference is that neural networks are a stepping stone in the search for
artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence is a vast field that has the goal of creating intelligent
machines, something that has been achieved many times depending on how you
define intelligence. Despite the fact that we have computers that can win at
"Jeopardy" and beat chess champions, the goal of AI is generally seen as a quest for
general intelligence, or intelligence that can be applied to diverse and unrelated
situational problems.
Many of the AIs built up to this point have been built with a purpose, such as
running a ping pong playing robot or dominating at "Jeopardy". This is the inevitable
result when computer scientists sit down and create something to do a specific task
they end up with something that can do that task and not much else.
To get around this problem of task-orientated AIs, computer scientists started
playing around with artificial neural networks. Our generally intelligent brains are
made up of biological neural networks that make connections based on our
perceptions and outside stimulus.
A grossly simplified example is the pain from getting burned. When this happens for
the first time, a connection is made in your brain that identifies the sensory
information known as fire (flames, smell of smoke, heat) and relates it with pain.
This is how you learn, at a very young age, how to avoid getting burned. Through
this same neural network, we can do a lot of general learning like ice cream tastes
good and even make deductive leaps like there are always clouds before rain or
stocks always rally in December. These leaps are not always correct (there is bad
ice cream and stocks that drop in December), but they can be corrected through
experience, thus allowing adaptive learning.
Artificial neural networks try to recreate this learning system on computers by
constructing a simple framework program to respond to a problem and receive
feedback on how it does. A computer can optimize its response by doing the same
problem thousands of times and adjusting its response according to the feedback it
receives. The computer can then be given a different problem, which it can
approach in the same way as it learned from the previous one. By varying the
problems and the number of approaches to solving them that the computer has
learned, computer scientists can teach a computer to be a generalist.
Although this conjures up images of computers taking over the world and

harvesting humans as seen in Hollywood movies like "The Martrix," we are still a
long way from neural networking our way to artificial intelligence. The problems
being tested on neural networks are all expressed mathematically. You cant hold a
flower up to a computer and tell it to guess the color by the smell, because the
smell would have to be expressed in numbers and then the computer would have to
catalog those numbers in memory, along with images of flowers emitting that smell.

That said, artificial neural networks that can be given more inputs of things like
smell - and the capacity to learn from all those inputs may be on track to produce
the first artificial intelligence that meets the standards of even the most hardcore AI
enthusiast.
In essence, artificial neural networks are models of human neural networks that are
designed to help computers learn. Artificial intelligence is the Holy Grail some
computer scientists are trying to achieve using techniques like mimicking neural
networks .

"Neural network" redirects here. For networks of living neurons, see Biological neural network.
For the journal, see Neural Networks (journal). For the evolutionary concept, see Neutral
network (evolution).

An artificial neural network is an interconnected group of nodes, akin to the vast network of
neurons in a brain. Here, each circular node represents an artificial neuron and an arrow
represents a connection from the output of one neuron to the input of another.
In machine learning, artificial neural networks (ANNs) are a family of statistical learning
algorithms inspired by biological neural networks (the central nervous systems of animals, in
particular the brain) and are used to estimate or approximate functions that can depend on a large
number of inputs and are generally unknown. Artificial neural networks are generally presented
as systems of interconnected "neurons" which can compute values from inputs, and are capable
of machine learning as well as pattern recognition thanks to their adaptive nature.
For example, a neural network for handwriting recognition is defined by a set of input neurons
which may be activated by the pixels of an input image. After being weighted and transformed
by a function (determined by the network's designer), the activations of these neurons are then
passed on to other neurons. This process is repeated until finally, an output neuron is activated.
This determines which character was read.

Artificial neural network

An artificial neural network (ANN), usually called neural network (NN), is a mathematical
model or computational model that is inspired by the structure and/or functional aspects of
biological neural networks. A neural network consists of an interconnected group of artificial
neurons, and it processes information using a connectionist approach to computation. In most
cases an ANN is an adaptive system that changes its structure based on external or internal
information that flows through the network during the learning phase. Modern neural networks
are non-linear statistical data modeling tools. They are usually used to model complex
relationships between inputs and outputs or to find patterns in data.

An artificial neural network is an interconnected group of nodes, akin to the vast network of
neurons in the human brain.
I took this article from wikipedia as you can see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network
so what I underestand from it is that an ANN is an algorithm which could be the best way to
make an AI program to learn the input and the process for that input would be like the way how
we learn something new but the differece would be that a machine can save the new data learned
or the input by fastest than us and then it can remember it by just asking him for that input his
memory however I was trying to make something like this in visual basic but I realized that it
was too much for a single person but maybe not for a group of person that work with boards and

long flowcharts drawn on it and are basicly real software engieneers however.
now Image a robot which is able to learn but not just by reading words...
lets imagine a robot which is able to get inputs from the sences:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense#Senses
it would need a lot of space to alocate all those news inputs and we will need a huge source code
and ofcourse we need to make it small and smart and even better if it looks more like a human...
there are scientists that are doing reverse engieneering to the human brain and are trying to make
like an AI program If Im not wrong: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_brain
well now lets take a look to this article of predictions for the 2050: