How do machines learn?

A commonly cited formal definition of machine learning, proposed by computer scientist Tom M. Mitchell, says that a machine is said to learn if it is able to take experience and utilize it such that its performance improves up on similar experiences in the future. This definition is fairly exact, yet says little about how machine learning techniques actually learn to transform data into actionable knowledge.

Tip

Although it is not strictly necessary to understand the theoretical basis of machine learning prior to using it, this foundation provides an insight into the distinctions among machine learning algorithms. Because machine learning algorithms are modeled in many ways on human minds, you may even discover yourself examining ...

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