Parameter Estimation Using Artificial Intelligence

The estimation of the parameters of a mathematical model, be it a multilinear model or a more complex model consisting of systems of differential equations, can also be approached with artificial intelligence techniques, in particular with procedures and algorithms that are part of so-called machine learning. The use of artificial intelligence techniques makes it easier to estimate the parameters in large, non-linear systems, which are in fact the vast majority of the models we use to describe real physical, biological, ecological, and social processes. In this chapter we focus especially on the use of neural networks for model regression, not only to give the reader an introduction to the concepts and functioning of neural networks for these purposes but also to show how the regression problem, the central theme of this book, is conceptualized in the context of machine learning.