Four things you need to know about neural networks GovInsider

In the hit movie Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Iron Man shows the'brains' of a computer system to his colleague, the Incredible Hulk. "I mean, look at this! They're like neurons firing," the Hulk exclaims, pointing to a pulsating, blue orb which represented super baddie Ultron's consciousness. We'd like to think that's what neural networks look like too. They are a rising field of artificial intelligence, and a new trend that is coming to a government near you. Neural networks describe a computing technique that closely imitates human brain functions. "By using neural networks, we try to mimic nature's ability to learn how certain things work," Associate Professor Andy Chun from City University of Hong Kong's Department of Computer Science tells GovInsider.