Machines are now predicting stock market changes, detecting cancer, translating documents, and even composing symphonies—all thanks to an exciting new subset of artificial intelligence known as deep learning.

This spring, the Whiting School of Engineering introduced Hopkins undergraduate and graduate students to the basic concepts in this field in the course Machine Learning: Deep Learning.

In deep learning, artificial neural networks—computer algorithms modeled after the human brain—learn to perform specific tasks by analyzing large amounts of training data. Deep learning is rapidly becoming a hallmark of many new technologies, such as Spotify’s recommended song feature or safety mechanisms in self-driving cars.