Matrices in Artificial Intelligence

When people think about AI, they usually think of ChatGPT, self-driving cars, or robots. However, behind all of this intelligence is something that may seem boring at first, matrices. Even though they just look like grids of numbers, they are actually one of the most important tools in AI. They help machines process information, recognize patterns, and make decisions.

Simply put, a matrix is a set of numbers arranged in rows and columns. Here’s an example of a simple 4×4:

How AI Uses Matrices:

Storing and Processing Data: to deal with large amount of data, AI models use matrices to help organize it

• Ex: Images are made up of tiny pixels, and each pixel has a brightness value. These values can be stored in a matrix, allowing AI to analyze the image and see patterns

Editing and Transforming Images: AI uses a type of matrices, transformation matrices, to move, rotate, or stretch images while keeping everything else aligned

• Ex: In Instagram or Snapchat filters, transformation matrices are used to make sure the filter stays in place even when you move your head.

Neural Networks and Matrix Multiplication: Neural networks are essentially the “brains” of AI, and they reply on matrix multiplication to process information.

• Ex: Every connection between neurons (small units in AI models), are stored in a matrix. When AI learns, it’s basically just adjusting the values to improve accuracy.

Understanding Language: AI chatbots do not just memorize words, instead they use matrices to predict what word should come next. Every word in a sentence can be converted into a vector, a type of matrix, and AI compares these to form possible responses

• Ex: When you are using ChatGPT and it gives you possible questions to ask as you are typing, it is using vector matrices to predict what you are asking.

Why do Matrices Matter?

They are the foundation of AI! Every single time you use Google Translate, scroll through your FYP on TikTok, use a Snap or Instagram filter, or talk to a chatbot, you’re using AI powered matrices!

Resources

Labelbox. “Inside the Matrix: A Look into the Math Behind AI.” Labelbox Blog, 12 Sept. 2023, https://labelbox.com/blog/inside-the-matrix-a-look-into-the-math-behind-ai/.

“Matrices and Matrix Arithmetic for Machine Learning.” GeeksforGeeks, https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/matrices-and-matrix-arithmetic-for-machine-learning/.

“What Types of Matrix Multiplication Are Used in Machine Learning? When Are They Used?” Data Science Stack Exchange, 30 July 2020, https://datascience.stackexchange.com/questions/75855/what-types-of-matrix-multiplication-are-used-in-machine-learning-when-are-they.

“Image Transformation Using Matrix.” Pixls.us Discussion, 15 Aug. 2022, https://discuss.pixls.us/t/image-transformation-using-matrix/30786.