AI Interview Questions
Intermediate
-By Habib Shaikh
Habib Shaikh
INTERMEDIATE AI INTERVIEW Q&A
Habib Shaikh
AI Expert
1. Why are activation functions crucial in neural
networks?
Activation functions introduce non-linearity to the outputs of neurons,
allowing the network to model complex patterns and relationships. They
transform the weighted sum of inputs to an output, facilitating the learning of
intricate data patterns beyond linear correlations.
2. Describe gradient descent.
Gradient descent is an iterative optimization technique used to minimize a
function. In machine learning, it helps fine-tune the model’s parameters by
reducing the difference between the predicted and actual values (i.e., loss
function).
3. What is the purpose of normalizing data?
Normalization is the process of scaling data to a specific range, typically
between 0 and 1. It ensures that all features contribute equally to the model,
preventing any one feature from dominating due to differing magnitudes or
units
Habib Shaikh
INTERMEDIATE AI INTERVIEW Q&A
Habib Shaikh
AI Expert
4. What is data augmentation?
Data augmentation is a technique used to artificially increase the size of a
dataset by applying transformations like rotation, scaling, and flipping, which
helps improve model robustness.
5. List some common activation functions.
Sigmoid: Outputs a value between 0 and 1, often used in binary
classification but suffers from vanishing gradients.
ReLU: Maps negative inputs to zero and positive values remain
unchanged, speeding up computations while mitigating vanishing gradient
issues.
Leaky ReLU: Similar to ReLU but with a small negative slope for negative
inputs, helping to prevent "dead neurons."
6. Define the Swish function.
The Swish function is a smooth, differentiable and non-linear activation
function and has been found to outperform other functions like ReLU in some
deep learning tasks.
INTERMEDIATE AI INTERVIEW Q&A
Habib Shaikh
AI Expert
7. What is classification and its benefits?
Classification involves assigning input data into predefined categories. It is
used in tasks like spam filtering and image recognition, offering benefits such
as informed decision-making, accurate predictions, and anomaly detection.
8. Explain forward and backward propagation.
Forward Propagation: Computes the output of a neural network by passing
data through layers of transformations, with each layer applying weights,
biases, and activation functions.
Backward Propagation: Calculates the gradient of the loss with respect to
the model’s weights, adjusting them to minimize the loss using an
optimization algorithm.
9. What does the fuzzy approximation theorem state?
The fuzzy approximation theorem states that any continuous function can be
approximated using fuzzy sets, represented as a weighted sum of linear
functions, capturing input uncertainty Habib Shaikh
INTERMEDIATE AI INTERVIEW Q&A
Habib Shaikh
AI Expert
10. What are convolutional neural networks (CNNs)?
CNNs are specialized neural networks designed for image processing. They
apply convolutional layers to detect patterns like edges, shapes, and textures,
making them ideal for tasks such as image classification and object detection.
11. Explain autoencoders and their variations.
Autoencoders are neural networks designed for unsupervised learning,
particularly for dimensionality reduction. Variations include:
Denoising Autoencoder: Used to reconstruct clean data from noisy inputs.
Variational Autoencoder: Encodes input data into a probabilistic
distribution for generative tasks.
Sparse Autoencoder: Encourages sparsity in the hidden layer to avoid
overfitting.
12. Explain the benefits of transfer learning.
Transfer learning allows the application of pre-trained models on new tasks,
improving performance even with limited data. Benefits include faster model
training, improved accuracy, and leveraging pre-existing knowledge from
related domains.
Habib Shaikh
INTERMEDIATE AI INTERVIEW Q&A
Habib Shaikh
AI Expert
13. Why is the cost function important?
The cost function measures the error of a model's predictions, guiding
optimization by indicating how far off the model's outputs are from the actual
values. Minimizing the cost function leads to better model accuracy.
14. What are the components of LSTM?
Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks have three primary components:
Forget Gate: Decides what information from the previous state should be
discarded.
Input Gate: Determines what new information should be added.
Output Gate: Decides which information from the current state should be
output.
15. Define epoch, batch, and iteration in machine
learning.
Epoch: The number of times the entire dataset is passed through the
model.
Habib Shaikh
Batch: A subset of the data used in one iteration.
Iteration: A single update to the model’s weights after processing a batch.
INTERMEDIATE AI INTERVIEW Q&A
Habib Shaikh
AI Expert
16. What is dropout in neural networks?
Dropout is a regularization technique used to prevent overfitting by randomly
disabling a fraction of neurons during training, forcing the model to generalize
better.
17. Describe the vanishing gradient problem.
This issue arises in deep networks where gradients shrink as they propagate
backward through layers, causing earlier layers to receive little update, thus
hindering learning.
18. What is batch gradient descent?
Batch gradient descent computes the gradient of the loss function for the
entire training dataset at once, then updates the model parameters
accordingly.
19. Explain ensemble learning.
Ensemble learning combines multiple models to create a stronger predictive
model. Methods like boosting and bagging improve accuracy by leveraging
the strengths of different algorithms.
Habib Shaikh
INTERMEDIATE AI INTERVIEW Q&A
Habib Shaikh
AI Expert
20. What are some drawbacks of machine learning?
Challenges include data biases, high computational costs, reliance on large
datasets, and the need for domain expertise in model selection and
evaluation.
21. Define sentiment analysis in NLP.
Sentiment analysis evaluates the emotional tone of text, helping to
understand public sentiment on topics such as customer feedback or social
media content.
22. What are the disadvantages of linear models?
Assumption of linear relationships.
Susceptibility to overfitting with small datasets.
Poor performance on complex, non-linear data.
23. Name methods for dimensionality reduction.
Common methods include PCA (Principal Component Analysis), t-SNE, and
autoencoders, all aiming to reduce the number of features while maintaining
data variance. Habib Shaikh
INTERMEDIATE AI INTERVIEW Q&A
Habib Shaikh
AI Expert
24.
10. What are convolutional
BFS and DFS algorithms?
neural networks (CNNs)?
BFS: Explores the graph level by level, visiting all nodes at the current
depth before moving to the next level.
DFS: Explores as deeply as possible along one branch before
backtracking.
25. Difference between supervised and unsupervised
learning?
Supervised Learning: Trains models using labeled data to predict
outcomes for unseen data.
Unsupervised Learning: Finds patterns in unlabeled data, such as
clustering or dimensionality reduction.
26. What is text extraction?
Text extraction involves retrieving structured text from documents or images
using techniques like OCR."
Habib Shaikh
INTERMEDIATE AI INTERVIEW Q&A
Habib Shaikh
AI Expert
27. What is a cost function?
The cost function quantifies how well a model’s predictions match actual
outcomes. It is optimized during training to minimize errors and improve
model performance.
28. What are hyperparameters in ANN?
Hyperparameters include learning rate, momentum, number of epochs,
number of hidden layers, and activation functions, all set before training to
optimize model performance.
29. What are intermediate tensors in deep learning?
Intermediate tensors hold temporary data during model training and
inference, storing intermediate results used for backpropagation and weight
updates.
30. What causes exploding gradients?
Exploding gradients occur when large gradients cause updates that lead to
instability, often due to large weights or improper initialization, resulting in
numerical issues.
Habib Shaikh
INTERMEDIATE AI INTERVIEW Q&A
Habib Shaikh
AI Expert
31. What is Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)?
ASI is a theoretical AI that surpasses human intelligence, capable of
performing any intellectual task better than humans, potentially achieving
autonomous decision-making and emotions.
32. What is overfitting, and how can it be avoided?
Overfitting occurs when a model learns noise in the training data, reducing its
ability to generalize. Prevention methods include regularization, early
stopping, and cross-validation. Habib Shaikh
33. Can linear regression be used for deep learning?
No, linear regression is insufficient for deep learning tasks, as it cannot model
the complex, non-linear patterns needed in deep learning networks.
34. What role do hyperparameters play in deep
learning?
Hyperparameters control the training process, guiding learning rates, network
architecture, and optimization strategies, all critical for model performance.
INTERMEDIATE AI INTERVIEW Q&A
Habib Shaikh
AI Expert
35. What is the role of pipelines in information
extraction?
Pipelines streamline information extraction by organizing multiple
processing steps, making it easier to handle large datasets and reduce
errors in the extraction process. Habib Shaikh
36. What is the difference between full listing and
minimum redundancy hypotheses?
Full Listing Hypothesis: All possible values of a variable should be listed.
Minimum Redundancy Hypothesis: Avoids unnecessary duplication of
features, focusing on retaining essential, non-redundant information.
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