ANN (Artificial Neural Network)

Friendly Description: An Artificial Neural Network is a computer system inspired by the way our brains work. Just like our brains have billions of tiny cells called neurons that pass signals to each other, an ANN has tiny math units that pass numbers along. By looking at lots of examples, like thousands of photos of cats and dogs, it slowly learns to spot patterns, the same way a child learns by seeing and trying.

Example: Imagine you want a computer to tell apart pictures of cats and dogs. You show an ANN thousands of labeled pictures. At first it guesses randomly. Each time it gets something wrong, it adjusts its internal connections a tiny bit. After enough practice, it can look at a brand new photo it has never seen and confidently say, "That's a cat."