Stunning 'AI brain scans' reveal what machines see as they learn new skills

Machine learning is breaking down language barriers, fuelling – and fighting – cybercrime, and can even recognise emotions, but the complex processes behind these breakthroughs are often a mystery. Startup Graphcore wants to change this. The Bristol-based firm has created a series of'AI brain scans', using its development chip and software, to produce Petri dish-style images that reveal what happens as processes run. Most machine learning programs – including Google's own systems, and open source frameworks – work by training AI on computational graphs. Put very simply, machine learning systems go through a construction phase, during which a graph showing all the computations needed is created. This is followed by an execution phase where the machine uses the computations (or steps) highlighted in the graph to run through its training processes.