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Machine Learning: What it is and Why it Matters

Machine Learning: What it is and Why it Matters

A recent news item went as follows: “Apple buys machine learning firm Perceptio Inc., a startup, in an attempt to bring advanced image-classifying artificial intelligence to smartphones by reducing data overhead which is typically required of conventional methods .” Another recent development was that MIT researchers were working on object recognition through flexible machine learning. Machine learning is starting to reshape how we live, and it’s time we understood what it is and why it matters. What is Machine Learning? Machine learning is a core sub-area of artificial intelligence; it enables computers to get into a mode of self-learning without being explicitly programmed. When exposed to new data, these computer programs are enabled to learn, grow, change, and develop by themselves. SAS, a North Carolina-based analytics software developer, uses this definition: “Machine learning is a method of data analysis that automates analytical model building.” In other wo...