# Hello, Perceptron: An introduction to artificial neural networks

DevFeed: [Hello, Perceptron: An introduction to artificial neural networks](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/hello-perceptron-an-introduction-to-artificial-neural-networks-35235.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<http://matt.might.net/articles/hello-perceptron/>)

Published: 2023-05-05T14:05:31Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Matt Might](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/matt-might.md>)

Topics: [Neural Network](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/neural-network.md>), [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>), [Generative AI](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/generative-ai.md>), [Algorithm](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/algorithm.md>), [circuit](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/circuit.md>)

Tags: [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [algorithm](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/algorithm.md>), [circuit](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/circuit.md>), [generative-ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/generative-ai.md>), [introduction](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/introduction.md>), [neural-networks](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/neural-networks.md>)

## AI overview

This tutorial introduces artificial neural networks through Frank Rosenblatt's perceptron. It explains how a single perceptron can be trained to mimic the AND, OR, and NOT logical functions, then examines its inability to learn XOR as motivation for multilayer neural networks.

## Source excerpt

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjournery are able to replicate (and often exceed) human-like performance on tasks like taking exams, generating text and making art. Even to seasoned programmers, their abilities can seem magical. But, obviously, there is no magic. These things are "just" artificial neural networks - circuits inspired by the architecture of biological brains. An AI-imagined image of a neural network (Midjourney) In fact, much like real brains, when broken down to their building blocks, these systems can seem "impossibly simple" relative to what they achieve. (Modern computing is also magical in that sense, in that all of what computers are able to do reduces to simple logical building blocks - gates that calculate basic operations with truth values, such as AND, OR and NOT.) The purpose of this article is to give programmers without much exposure to machine learning an understanding of the key building block powering generative AI: the artificial neuron. Toward that end, this article has three goals: to implement a perceptron - the simplest artificial neuron; to train perceptrons how to mimic AND, OR and NOT; and to describe the leap to full-fledged neural networks. Click here to read the rest of the article