A generative adversarial network consists of two neural networks competing against each other to become better at their respective tasks. These two networks are called the generator and the discriminator.
The generator is trained to create new synthetic data similar to the real data it is shown from the training dataset. It starts by creating random noise then transforms that noise into data resembling the training examples.
The discriminator is trained to classify data as real (from the original dataset) or fake (created by the generator). It acts as a evaluator for the generator's creations.
During training, these two networks play a continuous game:
The generator creates fake data out of random noise.
This fake data is fed into the discriminator along with real data from the training set.
The discriminator analyzes both sets of data to determine which is real and which is fake.
The discriminator provides feedback on its analysis by classifying the data correctly or incorrectly.
The generator uses this feedback to improve its ability to create more and more realistic fake data.
The cycles repeat as both networks grow better at their jobs - the generator at creating convincing fakes and the discriminator at detecting them.
This adversarial competition forces both networks to become progressively better until the generator is creating synthetic data that is indistinguishable from real data.
GANs can produce incredibly realistic artificial images, videos, audio, and other forms of data. The competition makes the two neural networks very strong at their particular task. GANs are used for image generation, video generation, data augmentation, and more.
Generative adversarial networks are important because they provide a powerful way to generate new synthetic data that resembles real data. This has many applications for content creation, data augmentation, and simulation. GANs represent a breakthrough in deep learning capabilities.
GANs' ability to generate new data unlocks innovation in areas like media production, data science, simulations, and privacy. Their unique generation capabilities from competing networks make them a versatile deep learning tool for businesses. GANs provide valuable capabilities for companies:
They can automatically create large amounts of training data to augment limited datasets. This helps train better AI models.
They allow the generation of realistic synthetic media like images, video, and audio for content creation.
They can be used for simulation models and scenario testing by generating highly realistic synthetic data.
Conditional GANs allow control over data generation, creating customized synthetic outputs.
GANs have privacy applications since they can produce artificial anonymized data.