Which component of an artificial neural network corresponds to a dendrite in the human brain?

In the context of artificial neural networks, the component that corresponds to a dendrite in the human brain is the input. Dendrites are structures in biological neurons that receive signals from other neurons and transmit this information to the neuron’s cell body. Similarly, in artificial neural networks, inputs are the data that enter the network for processing.

Just like dendrites gather information from various sources and relay it, inputs in a neural network serve to provide stimuli that the network responds to. Each input carries a particular feature from the dataset being analyzed, mirroring how dendrites collect various signals to influence the activity of a neuron. The processing of these inputs, combined through weights, ultimately leads to the output of the network, analogous to how a neuron reacts based on the inputs it receives through its dendrites.

This understanding is crucial for grasping how neural networks mimic certain aspects of human brain function, particularly in their structure and the flow of information through them.