Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are computational models inspired by the human brain, consisting of interconnected neurons that store knowledge based on synaptic connection strengths. Their popularity has grown since the introduction of the backpropagation algorithm in 1986, allowing ANNs to be effectively applied in various domains such as pattern recognition and financial prediction. Despite their strengths like tolerance to noise and ability to classify untrained patterns, ANNs face challenges such as long training times and poor interpretability.