What is Computer Vision?
Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence that trains computers to interpret and understand the visual world. Using digital images from cameras and videos, computer vision systems can accurately identify and classify objects, and then react to what they "see."
How does it work?
Computer vision systems primarily rely on deep learning, specifically convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The system breaks an image down into pixels and analyzes the color values. Over millions of training examples, it learns to recognize patterns of pixels that represent edges, which form shapes, which eventually form recognizable objects like cars, people, or tumors.
What is a simple example?
The facial recognition system that unlocks your smartphone uses computer vision. It analyzes the visual data from the front-facing camera, maps the geometric features of your face, and compares it to the stored mathematical representation of the owner's face to grant access.
Why does it matter?
Computer vision is critical for any AI system that needs to operate in the physical world. It is the core technology that enables self-driving cars to avoid pedestrians, allows medical software to detect anomalies in MRI scans, and automates quality control on factory assembly lines.