Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!ucsd!pacbell.com!ames!dftsrv!hq!lgn!spoffojj From: spoffojj@hq.af.mil (Jason Spofford) Newsgroups: comp.ai.neural-nets Subject: Observations on the State of NN theory Summary: Reactions wanted on the State of NN theory Keywords: Genetic Neural Training Pepsi Message-ID: Date: 2 Aug 90 14:34:01 GMT Sender: news@hq.af.mil Lines: 50 I would like to hear some reactions to the following generalizations: 1. Currently there is no unified theory of neural networks. 2. Several training algorithms have been developed. Each algorithm works on a small subset of NN architectures, usually with a particular neuron model. The training algorithms, even when all combined, only use a small percentage of the possible NN architectures. 3. It is almost like an art trying to solve NN problems, frequently requiring a variety of interconnected NN architectures and a good bit of trail and error. 4. Little is known in theory about how many neurons in it takes to solve a problem, and typically guesses are made to the number of neurons required to solve problems. Thus efficient use of NN machinery is not assured. 5. Each training algorithm can only solve a narrow class of problems. 6. Many algorithms scale up very poorly, taking an extremely long time to train NNs. I'm not knocking the field of NN's, I just want to be sure my assumptions about the current state of NNs are correct. These are all comments that I have heard since I've been working with neural networks. Please give your opinions!! As you may of gathered from my previous post, I am working on applying the genetic algorithm to solving NN problems. My hope, and that is what it is at this point, is to develop a GA that makes no assumptions or restrictions on NN architectures and that can solve a wide class of problems. I'd like to think I'm attacking the metaproblem of NN's, artificially developing NN's in a way not too unlike biological systems. Thanks. -- ---------------------------------------------------------- ) Jason Spofford <((((((> spoffojj.hq.af.mil ( ) LAN Manager George Mason Univ. Grad. Stud. ( ----------------------------------------------------------