The semantic gap in image retrieval refers to the disconnect between how humans perceive and interpret visual content versus how it is represented in computational systems. Humans understand images in terms of meaning, while computers rely on low-level features like color, texture, and shape. This gap arises because computational models struggle to associate these low-level features with high-level concepts. For example, a person recognizes a "beach" scene by understanding elements like water, sand, and sky, but a computer only processes pixel-level patterns that may not fully capture the semantic meaning. Bridging the semantic gap is a central challenge in image retrieval. Techniques like deep learning have advanced the field by learning representations closer to human understanding. For instance, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can identify objects in images, making search results more relevant to user queries.
What is 'semantic gap' in image retrieval?

- Natural Language Processing (NLP) Advanced Guide
- Embedding 101
- Accelerated Vector Search
- Vector Database 101: Everything You Need to Know
- Getting Started with Zilliz Cloud
- All learn series →
Recommended AI Learn Series
VectorDB for GenAI Apps
Zilliz Cloud is a managed vector database perfect for building GenAI applications.
Try Zilliz Cloud for FreeKeep Reading
What are convolutional neural networks (CNNs) used for in reinforcement learning?
Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are used in reinforcement learning to process and extract features from high-dimens
What kind of data is used to train OpenAI models?
OpenAI models are trained on a diverse set of data that mainly consists of text from books, websites, and other written
What is the role of norms in multi-agent systems?
In multi-agent systems, norms play a crucial role in regulating the behavior of agents and ensuring that they work toget