What is a neural network, explained without any of the math?

[BigDogShane10]

Trying to actually understand this instead of just nodding along, what is a neural network in plain terms?

[Delulu67]

Think of it as a huge number of simple decision points wired together in layers, each one taking in some inputs, weighing how important each input is, and passing a signal forward to the next layer. No single point does anything clever on its own, the intelligence comes entirely from how millions of these simple connections work together

The weighing part is the key idea, each connection between points has a number attached to it representing how much that particular input should matter. Training a neural network just means slowly adjusting all those numbers based on whether the final output was right or wrong, repeated millions of times until the whole system gets good at a task

The name comes from a loose analogy to neurons in a brain, individual points passing signals to each other, though the actual math underneath has moved pretty far from anything resembling real biology at this point. It is more useful to think of it as an enormous, adjustable math machine than an actual simulated brain