What Is Machine Learning And Why Does It Matter?

There is much talk around it and how it impacts businesses and organizations in the future, but what is machine learning really? It’s an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that offers systems the ability to learn automatically as well as improve from experience without being programmed explicitly. It focuses on the development of computer programs and harnessing of algorithms for computers to access data, which also feeds into the machine’s learning capabilities.

Image source: CBROnline.com

 The main goal is to allow computers to learn without human intervention or help, and adjust their actions as necessary. One may not be aware of some widely publicized machine learning applications, but they actually include the heavily hyped self-driving Google car, online recommendation offers from Amazon and Netflix, and even online fraud detection. 

Machine learning enables the analysis of staggering quantities of data. It generally delivers faster and more accurate results to detect opportunities or risks, and it is often combined with AI and cognitive technology for greater effectiveness in processing massive volumes of information. Its practical uses include web search results, real-time ads online, text-based sentiment analysis, credit scoring, new pricing models, prediction of equipment failures, pattern and image recognition, and network intrusion detection. 

While machine learning is not an end or a solution in and of itself, it is already changing the way things are done inside business and organizations. It even affects the required manpower or human labor needed in different sectors and areas, such as in accounting and bookkeeping, and previous labor-intensive functions. Companies should keep track of this domain’s progress as it proves an inevitable part of the immediate future. 

Image source: Robohub.org 

Anju Vallabhaneni is the CEO of United Software Group, Inc., a minority business enterprise offering Information Technology solutions and services. Read more about his work on this page.