Machine learning (ML) powers some of the most important technologies
we use, from translation apps to autonomous vehicles. This course
explains the core concepts behind ML.
ML offers a new way to solve problems, answer complex questions, and
create new content. ML can predict the weather, estimate travel times,
recommend songs, auto-complete sentences, summarize articles, and
generate never-seen-before images.
In basic terms, ML is the process of training a piece of software, called
a model, to make useful predictions or generate content (like text,
images, audio, or video) from data.
For example, suppose we wanted to create an app to predict rainfall. We
could use either a traditional approach or an ML approach. Using a
traditional approach, we'd create a physics-based representation of the
Earth's atmosphere and surface, computing massive amounts of fluid
dynamics equations. This is incredibly difficult.
Using an ML approach, we would give an ML model enormous amounts of
weather data until the ML model eventually learned the mathematical
relationship between weather patterns that produce differing amounts of
rain. We would then give the model the current weather data, and it would
predict the amount of rain.
Types of ML Systems
ML systems fall into one or more of the following categories based on how
they learn to make predictions or generate content:
Supervised learning
Unsupervised learning
Reinforcement learning
Generative AI
Regression
A regression model predicts a numeric value. For example, a weather
model that predicts the amount of rain, in inches or millimetres, is a
regression model.
See the table below for more examples of regression models:
Scenario Possible Input Data Numeric Prediction
Future house price Square footage, zip code, The price of the home.
number of bedrooms and
bathrooms, lot size,
mortgage interest rate,
property tax rate,
construction costs, and
number of homes for sale
in the area.
Future ride time Historical traffic The time in minutes and
conditions (gathered from seconds to arrive at a
smartphones, traffic destination.
sensors, ride-hailing and
other navigation
applications), distance
from destination, and
weather conditions.
Classification
Classification models predict the likelihood that something belongs to a
category. Unlike regression models, whose output is a number,
classification models output a value that states whether or not something
belongs to a particular category. For example, classification models are
used to predict if an email is spam or if a photo contains a cat.
Classification models are divided into two groups: binary classification and
multiclass classification. Binary classification models output a value from a
class that contains only two values, for example, a model that outputs
either rain or no rain. Multiclass classification models output a value from
a class that contains more than two values, for example, a model that can
output either rain, hail, snow, or sleet.
Unsupervised learning
An unsupervised learning model aims to identify meaningful patterns in a
dataset. For example, many unsupervised learning models rely on a
technique called clustering to organize similar data into groups
("clusters").
Figure 1. An ML model clustering similar data points.
Figure 2. Groups of clusters with natural demarcations.
Clustering differs from classification because the categories aren't defined
by you. For example, an unsupervised model might cluster a weather
dataset by define the seasons. You might then attempt to name those
clusters based on your understanding of the dataset.
Figure 3. An ML model clustering similar weather patterns.
Figure 4. Clusters of weather patterns labeled as snow, sleet, rain, and
no rain.
Reinforcement learning
Reinforcement learning models make predictions by getting rewards or
penalties based on actions performed within an environment. A
reinforcement learning system generates a policy that defines the best
strategy for getting the most rewards.
Reinforcement learning is used to train robots to perform tasks, like
walking around a room, and software programs like AlphaGo to play the
game of Go.
Generative AI
Generative AI is a class of models that creates content from user input.
For example, generative AI can create unique images, music
compositions, and jokes; it can summarize articles, explain how to
perform a task, or edit a photo.
Generative AI can take a variety of inputs and create a variety of outputs,
like text, images, audio, and video. It can also take and create
combinations of these. For example, a model can take an image as input
and create an image and text as output, or take an image and text as
input and create a video as output.
We can discuss generative models by their inputs and outputs, typically
written as "type of input"-to-" type of output." For example, the following
is a partial list of some inputs and outputs for generative models:
Text-to-text
Text-to-image
Text-to-video
Text-to-code
Text-to-speech
Image and text-to-image
The following table contains examples of generative models, their input,
and their possible output:
Model Input Output
Text-to-text Who invented the Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans
race? was founded by the
Automobile Club de
l'Ouest (ACO), a motoring
organisation founded in
1906. The first race was
held on 26 and 27 May
1923 on the Sarthe Circuit,
a 13.426-kilometre (8.345-
mile) road circuit located
near the town of Le Mans
in France. The race was
originally conceived as a
way to promote the ACO
and the Sarthe region.
Text-to-image An alien octopus floats
through a portal while
reading a newspaper.
Text-to-video A photorealistic teddy bear
is swimming in the ocean
at San Francisco. The
teddy bear goes under
water. The teddy bear
keeps swimming under the
water with colorful fishes.
A panda bear is swimming
under water.
for number in
Text-to-code Write a Python loop that numbers:
loops over a list of
# Check if the
numbers and prints the
prime numbers. number is prime.
is_prime = True
for i in range(2,
number):
if number % i == 0:
is_prime = False
break
# If the number is
prime, print it.
if is_prime:
print(number)
Image-to-text This is a flamingo. They
are found in the
Caribbean.
How does generative AI work? At a high-level, generative models learn
patterns in data with the goal to produce new but similar data. Generative
models are like the following:
Comedians who learn to imitate others by observing people's
behaviors and style of speaking
Artists who learn to paint in a particular style by studying lots of
paintings in that style
Cover bands that learn to sound like a specific music group by
listening to lots of music by that group
To produce unique and creative outputs, generative models are initially
trained using an unsupervised approach, where the model learns to mimic
the data it's trained on. The model is sometimes trained further using
supervised or reinforcement learning on specific data related to tasks the
model might be asked to perform, for example, summarize an article or
edit a photo.
Generative AI is a quickly evolving technology with new use cases
constantly being discovered. For example, generative models are helping
businesses refine their ecommerce product images by automatically
removing distracting backgrounds or improving the quality of low-
resolution images.