Glossary — Fundamentals
Neural network
A neural network is a mathematical structure made of millions of simple calculations arranged in layers — the most common form machine learning takes.
3 tokensNeuralnetwork
Simply put#
The name comes from the brain, but the resemblance ends fairly quickly. What it actually is: layers of multiplication. Each layer takes the previous layer's output, weights it, and passes it on.
Example#
One layer might learn to spot edges in an image, the next to assemble edges into shapes, the next shapes into objects. Nobody tells it "this layer handles edges" — that falls out of training.
Why it matters to you#
This is why AI decisions are hard to explain. The answer does not come from one rule but from millions of numbers acting together.