Video transcript

Supervised vs. unsupervised learning

Supervised and unsupervised learning are two core components in building machine learning
models. So, what's the difference? Well, just to cut to the chase, supervised learning, that uses
labeled input and output data, while an unsupervised learning model doesn't. But what does
that really mean? Well, let's better define both learning models, go deeper into the differences
between them and then answer the question of which is best for you.

Now, in supervised learning, the machine learning algorithm is trained on a labeled dataset. So
this means that each example in the training dataset, the algorithm knows what the correct
output is. And the algorithm uses this knowledge to try to generalize to new examples that it's
never seen before. Now, using labeled inputs and outputs, the model can measure its accuracy
and learn over time. Supervised learning can be actually divided into a couple of subcategories.

Firstly, there is a category of classification. And classification talks about whether the output is
a discrete class label such as "spam" and "not spam". Linear classifiers, support
vector machines, or SPMs, decision trees, random forests - they're all common examples of
classification algorithms. The other example is regression. The output here is a
continuous value, such as price or probability. Linear regression and logistic regression
are two common types of regression algorithms.

Now, unsupervised learning is where the machine learning algorithm is not really given any
labels at all. And these algorithms discover hidden patterns in data without the need for human
intervention. They're unsupervised. Unsupervised learning models are used for three main
tasks, such as clustering, association, and dimensionality reduction. So let's take a look at each
one of those, starting with clustering. Now clustering is where the algorithm groups similar
experiences together. So, a common application of clustering is customer segmentation,
where businesses might group customers together based on similarities like, I don't know, age
or location or spending habits, something like that.

Then you have association. And association is where the algorithm looks for relationships
between variables in the data. Now association rules are often used in market basket analysis,
where businesses want to know which items are often bought together. You know, something
along the lines of, "customers who bought this item also bought ", that sort of thing. The final
one to talk about is dimensional ...dimensional reduction. And this is where the algorithm
reduces the number of variables in the data, while still preserving as much of the information
as possible.

Page 1 of 3
Now, often this technique is used in the pre-processing data stage, such as when
autoencoders remove noise from visual images to improve picture quality. Okay, so let's talk
about the differences between these two types of learning.

In supervised learning, the algorithm learns from training datasets by iteratively making
predictions on the data and then adjusting for the correct answer. While supervised learning
models tend to be more accurate than unsupervised learning models, they do require all of this
up-front human intervention to label the data appropriately. For example, a supervised
learning model can predict how long your commute will be on the time of day and thinking
about the weather conditions and so forth. But first you'll have to train it to know things like
rainy weather extends the driving time.

By contrast, unsupervised learning models work on their own to discover the inherent
structure of unlabeled data. These models don't need humans to intervene. They can
automatically find patterns in data and group them together. So, for example, an unsupervised
learning model can cluster images by the objects they contain - things like people and animals
and buildings - without being told what those objects were ahead of time. Now, an important
distinction to make is that unsupervised learning models don't make predictions. They only
group data together. So, if you were to use an unsupervised learning model on that same
commute dataset, it would group together commutes with similar conditions like the time of
day and the weather, but it wouldn't be able to predict how long each commute would take.

Okay, so which of these two options is right for you? In general, supervised learning is more
commonly used than unsupervised learning, and that's really because it's more accurate and
efficient. But that being said, unsupervised learning has its own advantages. There's two that I
can think of. Firstly, unsupervised learning can be used on data that is not labeled, which is
often the case in real world datasets. And then secondly, unsupervised learning can be used to
find hidden patterns in data that supervised learning models just wouldn't find.

Classifying big data can be a real challenge in supervised learning, but the results are
highly accurate and trustworthy. And in contrast, unsupervised learning can handle large
volumes of data in real time. But there's a lack of transparency into how that data is clustered
and a high risk given accurate results. But wait, it is not an "either/or" choice.

May I present to you the middle ground known as semi-supervised learning. This is, well, a
happy medium where you use a training data set with both labeled and unlabeled data. And it's
particularly useful when it's difficult to extract relevant features from data when you have a
high volume of data. So, for example, you could use a semi-supervised learning algorithm on a
data set with millions of images where only a few thousand of those images are actually
labeled.

Semi-supervised learning is ideal for medical images, where a small amount of training data
could lead to a significant improvement in accuracy. For example, a radiologist can look at and
label some small subset of CT scans for tumors or diseases, and then the machine can more

Page 2 of 3
accurately predict which patients might require more medical attention without going
through and labeling the entire set.

Machine learning models are a powerful way to gain the data insights that improve our world.
The right model for your data depends on the type of data that you have and what you want to
do with it. And the choice between supervised and unsupervised learning is only the first step.
If you have any questions, please drop us a line below.

And if you want to see more videos like this in the future, please like and subscribe.

Thanks for watching!

Page 3 of 3