Comment by chasd00
2 days ago
> If we suppose that ANNs are more or less accurate models of real neural networks
i believe the problem is we don't understand actual neurons let alone actual networks of neurons to even know if any model is accurate or not. The AI folks cleverly named their data structures "neuron" and "neural network" to make it seem like we do.
> The AI folks cleverly named their data structures "neuron" and "neural network" to make it seem like we do.
I don't think any (serious) neural network researchers are trying to trick anybody or claim greater fidelity with the operations of the human brain than are warranted. If anything, Hinton - one of the "godfathers of neural networks" in the popular zeitgeist - has been pretty outspoken about how ANN's have only a most superficial resemblance to real neurons.
Now, the "pop science" commenters, and the "talking heads" and "influencer" types and the marketing people, that's a different story...
This is a bit of a cynical take. Neural networks have been "a thing" for decades. A quick google suggests 1940s. I won't quibble on the timeline but no-one was trying to trick anyone with the name back then, and it just stuck around.