ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Criticism of artificial neural networks

Okay kiddo, have you ever played with a puzzle? You know how you have to fit little pieces together to make a bigger picture? Well, think of a computer like a super smart person who can do that puzzle really quickly.

One of the things that super smart people can do is make something called an Artificial Neural Network, or ANN for short. It's like a bunch of puzzles put together, all working together to solve a big problem.

But sometimes, people say that these ANNs aren't perfect. They can make mistakes just like you and me!

One reason is because the ANN might not have enough information or enough experience to solve the puzzle. You know how if you first see a new puzzle, you might not know where any of the pieces go? Well, the ANN might be the same way.

Another reason is that sometimes the ANN can only look at part of the puzzle at once. Like, if you had a big puzzle and could only look at one corner at a time, you might not be able to see the whole picture. That's kind of like what happens with the ANN - it might miss important information because it can only focus on one part at a time.

Finally, sometimes people say that the ANN is only as good as the person who made it. If the person doesn't know how to make a good puzzle, then the ANN won't be able to solve it very well.

Overall, ANNs are really cool and helpful because they can solve puzzles really quickly. But sometimes they can make mistakes because they don't have all the information, can only focus on one piece at a time, or because they were made by someone who didn't make a very good puzzle.