The researchers chose TensorFlow and Keras for their project on transcribing medieval texts due to several compelling reasons. First and foremost, TensorFlow and Keras are widely recognized and extensively used frameworks in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). These frameworks offer a range of powerful tools and functionalities that are important for developing and implementing ML models.
TensorFlow, developed by Google, is an open-source library that provides a flexible and efficient platform for building ML models. It offers a high-level API that simplifies the process of developing complex neural networks. TensorFlow's computational graph abstraction enables efficient execution of operations on both CPUs and GPUs, making it suitable for training large-scale models. Additionally, TensorFlow supports distributed computing, allowing researchers to leverage multiple machines or devices to accelerate the training process.
Keras, on the other hand, is a user-friendly, high-level neural networks API written in Python. It is built on top of TensorFlow and provides a simplified interface for constructing ML models. Keras offers a wide range of pre-built layers, activation functions, and optimization algorithms, making it easy for researchers to experiment with different architectures and configurations. Its intuitive design and extensive documentation make it an ideal choice for researchers with varying levels of ML expertise.
In the context of transcribing medieval texts, TensorFlow and Keras provide several advantages. One of the key challenges in transcribing historical texts is dealing with the variability and complexity of the script. TensorFlow's deep learning capabilities, combined with Keras' ease of use, enable researchers to develop ML models that can effectively learn and recognize the unique characteristics of medieval handwriting.
For instance, researchers can leverage convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to automatically extract relevant features from the text images. CNNs excel at capturing spatial patterns and are particularly well-suited for tasks such as image recognition. By training a CNN model on a large dataset of annotated medieval text images, researchers can teach the model to identify and transcribe individual characters in the text.
Furthermore, recurrent neural networks (RNNs) can be employed to capture the sequential dependencies in the text. RNNs, such as long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, have the ability to model temporal dependencies and can be trained to predict the next character given the previous characters. This enables the model to generate accurate transcriptions even in cases where characters are partially occluded or damaged.
The combination of TensorFlow and Keras provides a powerful and flexible framework for tackling the challenging task of transcribing medieval texts. By leveraging the advanced ML capabilities of TensorFlow and the user-friendly interface of Keras, researchers can develop accurate and efficient models that automate the transcription process, saving significant time and effort.
The researchers chose TensorFlow and Keras for their project on transcribing medieval texts due to the frameworks' widespread adoption, extensive functionalities, and the ability to address the specific challenges of transcribing historical texts. These frameworks provide a solid foundation for developing ML models that can effectively recognize and transcribe medieval handwriting.
Other recent questions and answers regarding EITC/AI/TFF TensorFlow Fundamentals:
- What is the maximum number of steps that a RNN can memorize avoiding the vanishing gradient problem and the maximum steps that LSTM can memorize?
- Is a backpropagation neural network similar to a recurrent neural network?
- How can one use an embedding layer to automatically assign proper axes for a plot of representation of words as vectors?
- What is the purpose of max pooling in a CNN?
- How is the feature extraction process in a convolutional neural network (CNN) applied to image recognition?
- Is it necessary to use an asynchronous learning function for machine learning models running in TensorFlow.js?
- What is the TensorFlow Keras Tokenizer API maximum number of words parameter?
- Can TensorFlow Keras Tokenizer API be used to find most frequent words?
- What is TOCO?
- What is the relationship between a number of epochs in a machine learning model and the accuracy of prediction from running the model?
View more questions and answers in EITC/AI/TFF TensorFlow Fundamentals

