What is Machine Learning?
A type of AI where computers learn from data instead of being explicitly programmed.
Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of artificial intelligence where computers learn patterns from data and improve their performance over time without being explicitly programmed.
How Machine Learning Works
Instead of writing rules like "if X then Y," machine learning:
- Takes large amounts of data
- Finds patterns in that data
- Uses those patterns to make predictions or decisions
Types of Machine Learning
Supervised Learning
Learning from labeled examples. Like showing a child pictures of cats and dogs with labels until they can identify new ones.
Unsupervised Learning
Finding patterns in unlabeled data. Like grouping similar customers together without being told what groups exist.
Reinforcement Learning
Learning through trial and error with rewards. Like how ChatGPT was fine-tuned using human feedback.
Real-World Applications
- Email spam filters learning what spam looks like
- Credit card fraud detection identifying unusual transactions
- Medical diagnosis spotting patterns in medical images
- Language translation learning from millions of translated texts
Machine Learning vs Traditional Programming
Traditional: Programmer writes rules → Computer follows rules ML: Data + Algorithm → Computer learns rules