  The feasibility of deep neural networks (DNNs) to address data stream
problems still requires intensive study because of the static and offline
nature of conventional deep learning approaches. A deep continual learning
algorithm, namely autonomous deep learning (ADL), is proposed in this paper.
Unlike traditional deep learning methods, ADL features a flexible structure
where its network structure can be constructed from scratch with the absence of
an initial network structure via the self-constructing network structure. ADL
specifically addresses catastrophic forgetting by having a different-depth
structure which is capable of achieving a trade-off between plasticity and
stability. Network significance (NS) formula is proposed to drive the hidden
nodes growing and pruning mechanism. Drift detection scenario (DDS) is put
forward to signal distributional changes in data streams which induce the
creation of a new hidden layer. The maximum information compression index
(MICI) method plays an important role as a complexity reduction module
eliminating redundant layers. The efficacy of ADL is numerically validated
under the prequential test-then-train procedure in lifelong environments using
nine popular data stream problems. The numerical results demonstrate that ADL
consistently outperforms recent continual learning methods while characterizing
the automatic construction of network structures.
