Modern artificial intelligence uses neural networks: computer algorithms inspired by the way our brains work. How did this come about, and to what extent does today’s AI really resemble our brains? Can we also use this new AI in reverse to better understand the brain itself? In this mini lecture, researcher Iris Groen takes you on a brief journey through the history of neural networks and shows how this technology is used, among other things, to develop brain–computer interfaces (BCIs).