Fiona Enright

ELIZA and PARRY

"The human brain’s muse-status for IS is evident in the development of neural networks. Neural networks are comprised of two subsections: biological neural networks and artificial neural networks. The former is a broad distinction that describes the complex system of neurons and synapses that are found in animal, particularly human, brains. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are systems comprised of artificial neurons and nodes which have been modelled after biological neural networks, such as artificial intelligence and cognitive modelling systems. Friedemann Pulvermüller, a senior scientist in the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit of the UK Medical Research Council, makes an apt observation when stating that artificial neural networks, “...can serve as illustrations of one’s ideas about brain function” (The Neuroscience of Language: On Brain Circuits of Words and Serial Order 96). The inclusion of the word “ideas” is notable here. ANN are not necessarily intended to be accurate models of brain function, rather, it is reflective of opinions/conceptions regarding brain function and its potential utility. This is not to say that neural networks have not been used as a tool to understand brain function. Rather, in the context of ANN created with the intention of commercial, academic, and professional use (i.e. speech recognition or image analysis), it is devised as a version of brain function which is useful for specific tasks. This intention inevitably alters research surrounding, and the outcome of, ANN." Fiona Enright 'Section II’ The Human Element: Information, Knowledge and Art in the Digital Episteme, 2021