If you can’t help it and keep adding those “suggested” items to your cart on your favorite e-commerce website and low-key wonder, how a random website knows your likes and dislikes better than your significant other of years , there is a secret. If you are powerless and curiosity gets the better of you and you end up watching the third movie for the night that Netflix recommends , there is a reason. And that secret .., that reason .., is machine learning (ML).

What is Machine learning?

Computer programs are traditionally sets of instructions that operate on data to produce specific outputs. Machine learning however, is a field in computer science  , in which computers are trained to recognize patterns and learn from data without being explicitly programmed. Machine Learning algorithms can be broadly classified under the umbrellas of supervised learning, unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning and deep learning. 

How do Machines Learn (How Machine Learning works that is)

Machine learning algorithms have their genesis in mathematical and statistical theories and concepts. In supervised learning, the algorithms are trained on labeled data and these algorithms then typically perform regression (predict the output for an input by mapping it to a function) or classification (predict the category). In Unsupervised learning the models try and find structure by means of clustering (ex: K means) or dimensionality reduction (ex: PCA which uses linear algebra). Reinforcement learning is built on **Markov decision processes (MDPs)** and expected return. Deep Learning, a key area within ML,  makes use of Neural networks, which are models inspired by the structure and functioning of the human brain. 

ML models are trained on large data sets and are fine tuned for better performance. 

Applications 

Apart from making recommendations on streaming and shopping sites, Machine Learning plays a vital role in detecting fraud , making medical diagnosis , speech recognition , autonomous vehicles and is what AI is built on.

So now that you know what goes on behind the scenes , try not to be too hard on your partner or yourself the next time you fall for ‘Just one more Episode’.