Intro
This article is part of a series: 'The Basics of Machine Learning', where I hope to dive into what Machine Learning is, its applications, and various other things for all those with an interest in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence and who would like to know more about it.
Things this article will cover;
- Definition of Machine Learning
- Importance/Uses of Machine Learning
- How to get started with Machine Learning
1. What is Machine Learning?
Simply put, Machine Learning is a form of Artificial Intelligence that involves machines learning on their own without being explicitly programmed. Here, you give the machine a set of data and the machine uses this data to learn alongside various algorithms.
The type of data and algorithms used depend on the task you are trying to achieve.
Artificial Intelligence
As I have defined Machine Learning as a branch of Artificial Intelligence I figure I should probably define what Artificial Intelligence is.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial Intelligence (AI for short), is a field that aims to make machines capable of mimicking human intelligence to perform given tasks. The machines learn by analysing patterns in data and hence use this knowledge to make informed decisions.
Types of Machine Learning
The four types of Machine Learning are:
Supervised Learning
This is a category of Machine Learning that employs the use of labelled datasets to train a model.
Unsupervised Learning
In this category of Machine Learning, the datasets are unlabelled and the algorithms learn without the need for human guidance.
Semi-Supervised Learning
This is a combination of both supervised and Unsupervised learning where the model is trained with both labelled and unlabelled datasets.
Reinforcement Learning
This Machine Learning method uses the concept of punishment and reward to train Machine Learning models.
I recommend watching this video to better understand all that has been said above.
2. Where Is Machine Learning used
Machine Learning is used to improve various parts of our daily online interactions. Some of these uses are;
- Product recommendations
- Email spam filtering
- Image recognition
- Language Translation
- Personal Voice Assistants
It also has several other less casual applications, such as ;
- Disease Diagnosis
- Self Driving cars
- Sales prediction
- Fraud Detection
and a lot of other stuff that I could probably go into a little bit more in another article.
3. Getting Started With Machine Learning
Prerequisite?
There are a lot of people who recommend starting out by taking a few math courses to learn stuff like linear algebra, calculus, probability, and statistics. But most people also agree that you do not need a deep understanding of maths to do well in the field, unless you wish to explore more demanding aspects of the field such as research.
Language
The two main languages used in Machine Learning are python and R, and regardless of what everyone might say I think either one is okay to use and you are free to choose based on preference. Though studies do show that more than half of the Machine Learning community uses python over other programming languages.
Resources
Like any other field out there Machine Learning Tutorials and guides can be found in a lot of places both free and paid resources. Youtube channels such as @Smithakolan, @Daniel Bourke, @TechWithTim, and sites such as W3Schools, GeekforGeek, and Kaggle have got you covered. There are also quite a few online courses on sites like Udacity that could give you a deeper and more structured understanding of the field.
End Note
Machine Learning is just like any other field in Tech which means it is very broad and can be applied in all aspects of life, and you can be sure to find a use for it in whatever field you find yourself in.
Parting words
Thanks for reading this article, and definitely look forward to other articles in the series. I hope it was helpful, feel free to give this article a 👏 and let me know your thoughts in the comments below. I'd love to connect with you on
- Twitter - @IqmaCodes
and here on hashnode too at IqmaCodes