6 Trends Framing the State of AI and ML

O’Reilly online learning is a trove of information about the trends, topics, and issues tech leaders need to know about to do their jobs. We use it as a data source for our annual platform analysis, and we’re using it as the basis for this report, where we take a close look at the most-used and most-searched topics in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) on O’Reilly.¹

Our analysis of ML- and AI-related data from the O’Reilly online learning platform indicates:

• Unsupervised learning surged in 2019, with usage up by 172%.
• Deep learning cooled slightly in 2019, slipping 10% relative to 2018, but deep learning still accounted for 22% of all AI/ML usage.
• Although TensorFlow grew by just 3%, it too garnered a 22% share of AI/ML usage in 2019.
• PyTorch looks like a contender: it posted triple-digit growth in usage share rates in both 2018 and 2019.
• Reinforcement learning fell by 5% in 2019; it’s up hugely—1,500+%—since 2017, however.
• Sustained strength in unsupervised learning, neural networks, reinforcement learning, etc., demonstrates that organizations are experimenting with advanced ML tools and methods.

Figure 1. AI/ML topics on the O’Reilly online learning platform with the most usage in 2019 (left) and the rate of change for each topic (right)

Growth in ML and AI Is Unabated

Engagement with the artificial intelligence ...