DeveloperWeek 2018

Machine learning and deep learning are becoming widely adopted areas in developing innovative solutions. This talk aims to be a primer of neural networks; including the inspiration and intuition behind the concept, and the knowledge and tools one can acquire to start learning and experimenting. As members of the technology industry, we are often bombarded with new jargon, new buzzwords, and new concepts from news and developments around the world. Artificial intelligence(AI), machine learning(ML), and neural networks(NN) all fall into that category of buzz words. This talk dives into the concept of neural networks. Neural networks are known as something used in machine learning, but few people understand how they work and the potential power of them. This talk includes how neural networks fit into AI, the historic inspiration, the intuition for how neural networks operate, the mathematical knowledge required for working with neural networks, the use cases for neural networks, and programming tools and frameworks that can assist one in developing machine learning applications using neural networks. More industry professionals can be made aware of the underlying concepts surrounding artificial intelligence and machine learning; however, we have a wealth of knowledge in these areas in academia. This is the reason I founded the Artificial Intelligence South Africa (AI ZA) monthly meetups and hackathons. We have had 25+ events thus far in Johannesburg and occasionally in Cape Town and Durban. The goal of these events is to get industry professionals in the development space knowledgeable on artificial intelligence concepts and get hands on experience with the tools and techniques that they can potentially use to grow their career and innovate on their projects. This small act will hopefully contribute in helping South Africa stay on par with international developments in this space.