How does artificial intelligence (AI) work and are there parallels to the human brain? What do natural and artificial intelligence have in common, and what are the differences? Is the brain nothing more than a biological computer? What are neural networks and how can the term deep learning be explained simply?

Since the cognitive revolution in the middle of the last century, AI and brain research have been closely intertwined. There have been several spectacular breakthroughs in the field of AI in recent years, from alphaGo to DALL-E 2 and ChatGPT, which were completely unthinkable until recently. However, researchers are already working on the innovations of tomorrow, such as hybrid machine learning or neuro-symbolic AI. But what does this actually mean?

Based on current research findings and exciting practical examples, this non-fiction book provides an understandable introduction to the basics and challenges of these fascinating disciplines. You will learn what neuroscience and psychology know about how the brain works and how artificial intelligence works. You will also learn how AI has revolutionized our understanding of the brain and how findings from brain research are used in computer science to further develop AI algorithms. Discover the fascinating world of these two disciplines. Find out why artificial intelligence and brain research are two sides of the same coin and how they will shape our future.

 

Part I: Brain research

The most complex system in the universe
Building blocks of the nervous system
Organization of the nervous system
Organization of the cortex
Imaging techniques: Watching the brain think
Memory
Language
Cognitive maps and navigation in mental spaces
Consciousness
Part II: Artificial intelligence
What is artificial intelligence
How does artificial intelligence learn
Playful artificial intelligence
Recurrence: learning is not a one-way street
Creativity: generative artificial intelligence
Language-talented AI: ChatGPT and co
How AI learns to learn
What are AI developers researching today?
Part III: Challenges
What is a toaster? Dangerous stickers and other attacks
Images in rain and sun: It's all about the data
Hallucinating machines: Fact checks and world models
Alchemy, reproducibility and black boxes
A critical appraisal: What AI can't (yet) do
Challenges of brain research
What does it mean to understand a system?
Part IV: Integration
AI as a tool in brain research
AI as a model for the brain
Neuroscience 20: Using brain research to understand AI
The brain as a template for AI
Conscious machines?
Outlook: Holodecks, uploads, brains in tanks and the singularity.