Module 1: Introduction to Machine Learning
What is Machine Learning?
Machine learning is a field of computer science that uses statistical techniques to
give computer systems the ability to "learn" with data, without being explicitly
programmed.
Key Characteristics:
1. Data-Driven: ML systems rely on data to learn and improve.
2. Automation: They automate decision-making processes without human
intervention.
3. Continuous Improvement: Models can improve over time as more data
becomes available.
Example:
• Spam Email Detection: A machine learning model can learn to distinguish
between spam and legitimate emails by analyzing a large dataset of emails
labeled as "spam" or "not spam."
Machine Learning Use-Cases
Machine Learning is used across various industries and applications to solve real-
world problems. Here are some common use cases:
1. Healthcare
• Use Case: Disease Diagnosis
• Example: ML models can analyze medical images (e.g., X-rays or MRIs) to
detect diseases like cancer or fractures.
2. Finance
• Use Case: Fraud Detection
• Example: Banks use ML to detect unusual transaction patterns that may
indicate fraudulent activities.
3. E-commerce
• Use Case: Personalized Recommendations
• Example: Platforms like Amazon use ML to suggest products based on a user’s
browsing and purchasing history.
4. Transportation
• Use Case: Self-Driving Cars
• Example: Autonomous vehicles use ML to identify objects, follow traffic rules, and
navigate roads.
5. Entertainment
• Use Case: Content Recommendation
• Example: Netflix and YouTube recommend movies or videos based on a user’s viewing
history.
Machine Learning Process Flow
The process of developing a machine learning model typically follows these steps:
1. Problem Definition
• Clearly define the problem you want to solve.
• Example: Predicting house prices based on location, size, and other factors.
2. Data Collection
• Gather relevant data from various sources.
• Example: Collect data about houses, such as square footage, number of
rooms, and location.
3. Data Preprocessing
• Clean and format the data for analysis.
• Steps Involved:
o Handle missing values.
o Remove duplicates.
o Normalize or scale numerical data.
4. Model Selection
• Choose the appropriate machine learning algorithm based on the problem
type.
• Example: Use a regression algorithm to predict house prices.
5. Model Training
• Feed the preprocessed data into the model so it can learn patterns.
• Example: Train a linear regression model on housing data.
6. Model Evaluation
• Test the model’s performance using evaluation metrics.
• Example: Use Mean Absolute Error (MAE) to measure how close the
predictions are to actual house prices.
7. Model Deployment
• Deploy the trained model for real-world use.
• Example: Integrate the model into a web application for predicting house
prices.
Machine Learning Categories
Machine Learning can be categorized into three main types based on the kind of
task the model is expected to perform:
1. Supervised Learning
• Definition: Models learn from labeled data, where each input has a
corresponding output.
• Examples:
o Predicting house prices (Regression)
o Classifying emails as spam or not spam (Classification)
• Example Process:
o Input: Housing data (size, location, price).
o Output: Predict house price.
2. Unsupervised Learning
• Definition: Models learn patterns and structure from unlabeled data.
• Examples:
o Customer segmentation (Clustering)
o Anomaly detection (e.g., fraud detection)
• Example Process:
o Input: Customer purchase history.
o Output: Group customers with similar buying patterns.
3. Reinforcement Learning
• Definition: Models learn by interacting with an environment and receiving
rewards or penalties for actions.
• Examples:
o Game-playing AI (e.g., AlphaGo)
o Self-driving cars
• Example Process:
o Input: Game state.
o Output: Optimal moves to maximize the score.
