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I love this, but Im always confused in these kinds of analogies what the reward / punishment system really equates to... Also reminds me of Ted Chiang warning

• time_to_smile 3y ago
  Don't love it, it's not correct. > what the reward / punishment system really equates to Nothing, and least as far as neural network training goes. This is an extremely poor analogy regarding how neural networks learn. If you've ever done any kind of physical training and have had a trainer sightly adjust the position of your limbs until what ever activity you're doing feels better, that's a much closer analogy. You're gently searching the space of possible correct positions, guided by an algorithm (your trainer) that knows how to move you towards a more correct solution. There's nothing analogous to a "reward" or "punishment" when neural networks are learning.
  • GaggiX 3y ago
    >There's nothing analogous to a "reward" or "punishment" when neural networks are learning. Well deep reinforcement learning.
    • cshimmin 3y ago
      Yeah but even in that case, "reward" is just the thing a NN is trying to predict. The NN itself is not receiving the reward (or any punishment). Instead, it's following gradient signals to improve that estimate of reward, which is then used as a proxy for an optimal policy decision.
• commandlinefan 3y ago
  > what the reward / punishment system really equates to Well, in the article, it says the punishment was a slap. On the other hand, he just says "she gives you a wonderful reward"... so you're left to use your imagination there.