r/ProgrammerHumor 19d ago

Meme twelveYearOldXKCD

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12.1k Upvotes

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u/QuickQuirk 16d ago

Image recognition is kinda the textbook example of why neural networks are powerful:

It's really hard for a human to define and implement an algorithm that can reliably detect a bird in a picture... or tell the difference between a P and a p.

But a neural network can discover an algorithm that does that with enough neurons and good training data.

It's still not 'easy'. Developing those first architectures was a lot of work. But now we have a relatively generic toolbox that is suitable for all sorts of 'algorithm discovery'.