Deep learning
is associated with artificial intelligence and mainly allied to neural networks, the goal of a neural network is to learn and recognize patterns, for this it makes use of several neurons, which form a network, as the following image.
The W values represent the input of data in a neuron and the output of it will be linked in other neurons, each neuron has a "weight" which is called threshold and which defines the function made by it.
Important to point out that they are unsupervised networks, they learn alone without human supervision.
Deep learning-inspired machines can learn complex abstractions of data through a hierarchical learning process very similar to what happens in the human brain - especially in the visual cortex.
Soon a network is assembled and the neurons in the inner layers are responsible for identifying small patterns in something larger, such as checking character "7", a part of the network recognizes the angles and directions of each pixel in the image.
In his cited case, of pornography, the neural network is able to identify small patterns and that if summed can affirm that, for example, what appears in the image is a penis.
There are several techniques of evaluation of the neural network, I just believe that this is a little outside the scope of your question, however I suggest reading on Perceptron and Backpropagation.
Deep Learning can input various things, mainly unstructured data and can be used for photo, sound, video, text and other recognition.
For more details about Deep Learning I suggest that one posting.
Related? What is Machine Learning ?
– Wallace Maxters