From a programmer's point of view, can a neural network be considered a more advanced "data structure"?
A neural network is definitely not a "cutting edge" data structure ... a neural network is an algorithm for statistical estimation, optimization, and dynamic behavior It is also referred to as a machine learning algorithm.
"Is a neural network more than a data structure?"
It does a lot more than a data structure ... so from that point of view, yes, but in general it's not a valid comparison. It actually allows the computer to "learn" how to correlate certain input patterns with certain output patterns.
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Yes! A neural network is a whole program, or at least a "system" or "mechanism". The neural network uses data structures (like arrays, hashmaps, linked lists ...) to store its weights and connections, but most developers have built a line between
- data structures as basic "plumbing" and
- advanced constructs, such as neural networks, which are located at a higher level of abstraction.
I'm trying to think of a good analogy for your question. At the moment, the best I can think of is "can a car be considered a more advanced combustion engine?"
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A neural network is a statistical model, not a data structure. Data structures are designed to store and recall information. The statistical model is designed to record events and provide useful information about the statistical properties of events.
So NN uses data structures, but is not itself a data structure.
This question is similar to asking whether Mr. Coffee is a computer simply because he can contain one to complete his task. Mr. Coffee is not a computer, but yes, you could rip it apart and find interesting ways to control the control electronics inside to do some calculations.
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No. Neurons are not data, the brain is not data. All this is spatial / quantum / ?? things are possibly infinitely difficult depending on how deep you want to go. It cannot be represented as data and can only be processed in its own context.
From Wikipedia:
In computer science, a data structure is a special way of storing and organizing data on a computer so that it can be used effectively.
If you are imagining a neural network on a computer, then yes. This is a very bad abstraction. Can you call it a proper neural network? Once you have a queue of people, you won't call it a queue of items or even a data structure.
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