Introduction to Learning

Define: Machine learning is a subset of AI, which enables the machine to automatically learn from
data, improve performance from past experiences, and make predictions. Machine learning contains
a set of algorithms that work on a huge amount of data. Data is fed to these algorithms to train them,
and on the basis of training, they build the model & perform a specific task.
These ML algorithms help to solve different business problems like Regression, Classification,
Forecasting, Clustering, and Associations, etc.

Types of Learning
Based on the methods and way of learning, machine learning is divided into mainly four types, which
are:
1. Supervised Machine Learning
2. Unsupervised Machine Learning
3. Semi-Supervised Machine Learning
4. Reinforcement Learning

1. Supervised Machine Learning

As its name suggests, Supervised machine learning is based on supervision. It means in the supervised
learning technique, we train the machines using the "labelled" dataset, and based on the training, the
machine predicts the output. Here, the labelled data specifies that some of the inputs are already
mapped to the output. More preciously, we can say; first, we train the machine with the input and
corresponding output, and then we ask the machine to predict the output using the test dataset.

Let's understand supervised learning with an example. Suppose we have an input dataset of cats and
dog images. So, first, we will provide the training to the machine to understand the images, such as
the shape & size of the tail of cat and dog, Shape of eyes, colour, height (dogs are taller,
cats are smaller), etc. After completion of training, we input the picture of a cat and ask the machine
to identify the object and predict the output. Now, the machine is well trained, so it will check all the
features of the object, such as height, shape, colour, eyes, ears, tail, etc., and find that it's a cat. So, it
will put it in the Cat category. This is the process of how the machine identifies the objects in Supervised
Learning.

The main goal of the supervised learning technique is to map the input variable(x) with
the output variable(y). Some real-world applications of supervised learning are Risk
Assessment, Fraud Detection, Spam filtering, etc.

Categories of Supervised Machine Learning

Supervised machine learning can be classified into two types of problems, which are given below:

o Classification
o Regression

a) Classification

Classification algorithms are used to solve the classification problems in which the output variable is
categorical, such as "Yes" or No, Male or Female, Red or Blue, etc. The classification algorithms
predict the categories present in the dataset. Some real-world examples of classification algorithms
are Spam Detection, Email filtering, etc.

Some popular classification algorithms are given below:

o Random Forest Algorithm

o Decision Tree Algorithm
o Logistic Regression Algorithm
o Support Vector Machine Algorithm

b) Regression

Regression algorithms are used to solve regression problems in which there is a linear relationship
between input and output variables. These are used to predict continuous output variables, such as
market trends, weather prediction, etc.

Some popular Regression algorithms are given below:

o Simple Linear Regression Algorithm

o Multivariate Regression Algorithm
o Decision Tree Algorithm
o Lasso Regression
Advantages and Disadvantages of Supervised Learning

Advantages:

o Since supervised learning work with the labelled dataset so we can have an exact idea about the
classes of objects.
o These algorithms are helpful in predicting the output on the basis of prior experience.

Disadvantages:

o These algorithms are not able to solve complex tasks.

o It may predict the wrong output if the test data is different from the training data.
o It requires lots of computational time to train the algorithm.

Applications of Supervised Learning

Some common applications of Supervised Learning are given below:

o Image Segmentation:
Supervised Learning algorithms are used in image segmentation. In this process, image classification
is performed on different image data with pre-defined labels.
o Medical Diagnosis:
Supervised algorithms are also used in the medical field for diagnosis purposes. It is done by using
medical images and past labelled data with labels for disease conditions. With such a process, the
machine can identify a disease for the new patients.
o Fraud Detection - Supervised Learning classification algorithms are used for identifying fraud
transactions, fraud customers, etc. It is done by using historic data to identify the patterns that can lead
to possible fraud.
o Spam detection - In spam detection & filtering, classification algorithms are used. These
algorithms classify an email as spam or not spam. The spam emails are sent to the spam folder.
o Speech Recognition - Supervised learning algorithms are also used in speech recognition.
The algorithm is trained with voice data, and various identifications can be done using the same, such
as voice-activated passwords, voice commands, etc.
2. Unsupervised Machine Learning

Unsupervised learning is different from the Supervised learning technique; as its name suggests, there
is no need for supervision. It means, in unsupervised machine learning, the machine is trained using
the unlabeled dataset, and the machine predicts the output without any supervision.

In unsupervised learning, the models are trained with the data that is neither classified nor labelled,
and the model acts on that data without any supervision.

The main aim of the unsupervised learning algorithm is to group or categories the
unsorted dataset according to the similarities, patterns, and differences. Machines are
instructed to find the hidden patterns from the input dataset.

Let's take an example to understand it more preciously; suppose there is a basket of fruit images, and
we input it into the machine learning model. The images are totally unknown to the model, and the
task of the machine is to find the patterns and categories of the objects.

So, now the machine will discover its patterns and differences, such as colour difference, shape
difference, and predict the output when it is tested with the test dataset.

Categories of Unsupervised Machine Learning

Unsupervised Learning can be further classified into two types, which are given below:

o Clustering
o Association

1) Clustering

The clustering technique is used when we want to find the inherent groups from the data. It is a way to
group the objects into a cluster such that the objects with the most similarities remain in one group and
have fewer or no similarities with the objects of other groups. An example of the clustering algorithm
is grouping the customers by their purchasing behaviour.

Some of the popular clustering algorithms are given below:

o K-Means Clustering algorithm

o Mean-shift algorithm
o DBSCAN Algorithm
o Principal Component Analysis
o Independent Component Analysis
2) Association

Association rule learning is an unsupervised learning technique, which finds interesting relations
among variables within a large dataset. The main aim of this learning algorithm is to find the
dependency of one data item on another data item and map those variables accordingly so that it can
generate maximum profit. This algorithm is mainly applied in Market Basket analysis, Web usage
mining, continuous production, etc.

Some popular algorithms of Association rule learning are

 Apriori Algorithm
 FP-growth algorithm.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Unsupervised Learning Algorithm

Advantages:

o These algorithms can be used for complicated tasks compared to the supervised ones because
these algorithms work on the unlabeled dataset.
o Unsupervised algorithms are preferable for various tasks as getting the unlabeled dataset is
easier as compared to the labelled dataset.

Disadvantages:

o The output of an unsupervised algorithm can be less accurate as the dataset is not labelled, and
algorithms are not trained with the exact output in prior.
o Working with Unsupervised learning is more difficult as it works with the unlabelled dataset
that does not map with the output.

Applications of Unsupervised Learning

o Network Analysis: Unsupervised learning is used for identifying plagiarism and copyright in
document network analysis of text data for scholarly articles.
o Recommendation Systems: Recommendation systems widely use unsupervised learning
techniques for building recommendation applications for different web applications and e-commerce
websites.
o Anomaly Detection: Anomaly detection is a popular application of unsupervised learning,
which can identify unusual data points within the dataset. It is used to discover fraudulent transactions.
o Singular Value Decomposition: Singular Value Decomposition or SVD is used to extract
particular information from the database. For example, extracting information of each user located at
a particular location.
3. Semi-Supervised Learning

Semi-Supervised learning is a type of Machine Learning algorithm that lies between

Supervised and Unsupervised machine learning. It represents the intermediate ground
between Supervised (With Labelled training data) and Unsupervised learning (with no labelled training
data) algorithms and uses the combination of labelled and unlabeled datasets during the training
period.

Although Semi-supervised learning is the middle ground between supervised and unsupervised
learning and operates on the data that consists of a few labels, it mostly consists of unlabeled data. As
labels are costly, but for corporate purposes, they may have few labels. It is completely different from
supervised and unsupervised learning as they are based on the presence & absence of labels.

To overcome the drawbacks of supervised learning and unsupervised learning

algorithms, the concept of Semi-supervised learning is introduced. The main aim of semi-
supervised learning is to effectively use all the available data, rather than only labelled data like in
supervised learning. Initially, similar data is clustered along with an unsupervised learning algorithm,
and further, it helps to label the unlabeled data into labelled data. It is because labelled data is a
comparatively more expensive acquisition than unlabeled data.

We can imagine these algorithms with an example. Supervised learning is where a student is under the
supervision of an instructor at home and college. Further, if that student is self-analysing the same
concept without any help from the instructor, it comes under unsupervised learning. Under semi-
supervised learning, the student has to revise himself after analyzing the same concept under the
guidance of an instructor at college.

Advantages and disadvantages of Semi-supervised Learning

Advantages:

o It is simple and easy to understand the algorithm.

o It is highly efficient.
o It is used to solve drawbacks of Supervised and Unsupervised Learning algorithms.

Disadvantages:

o Iterations results may not be stable.

o We cannot apply these algorithms to network-level data.
o Accuracy is low.
4. Reinforcement Learning

Reinforcement learning works on a feedback-based process, in which an AI agent (A

software component) automatically explore its surrounding by hitting & trail, taking
action, learning from experiences, and improving its performance. Agent gets rewarded for
each good action and get punished for each bad action; hence the goal of reinforcement learning agent
is to maximize the rewards.

In reinforcement learning, there is no labelled data like supervised learning, and agents learn from
their experiences only.

The reinforcement learning process is similar to a human being; for example, a child learns various
things by experiences in his day -to-day life. An example of reinforcement learning is to play a game,
where the Game is the environment, moves of an agent at each step define states, and the goal of the
agent is to get a high score. Agent receives feedback in terms of punishment and rewards.

Due to its way of working, reinforcement learning is employed in different fields such as Game
theory, Operation Research, Information theory, multi-agent systems.

Categories of Reinforcement Learning

Reinforcement learning is categorized mainly into two types of methods/algorithms:

o Positive Reinforcement Learning: Positive reinforcement learning specifies increasing the

tendency that the required behaviour would occur again by adding something. It enhances the strength
of the behaviour of the agent and positively impacts it.
o Negative Reinforcement Learning: Negative reinforcement learning works exactly
opposite to the positive RL. It increases the tendency that the specific behaviour w ould occur again by
avoiding the negative condition.

Real-world Use cases of Reinforcement Learning

o Video Games:
RL algorithms are much popular in gaming applications. It is used to gain super-human performance.
Some popular games that use RL algorithms are AlphaGO and AlphaGO Zero.
o Resource Management:
The "Resource Management with Deep Reinforcement Learning" paper showed that how to use RL in
computer to automatically learn and schedule resources to wait for different jobs in order to minimize
average job slowdown.
o Robotics:
RL is widely being used in Robotics applications. Robots are used in the industrial and manufacturing
area, and these robots are made more powerful with reinforcement learning. There are different
industries that have their vision of building intelligent robots using AI and Machine learning
technology.
o Text Mining
Text-mining, one of the great applications of NLP, is now being implemented with the help of
Reinforcement Learning by Salesforce company.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Reinforcement Learning

Advantages

o It helps in solving complex real-world problems which are difficult to be solved by general
techniques.
o The learning model of RL is similar to the learning of human beings; hence most accurate results
can be found.
o Helps in achieving long term results.

Disadvantage

o RL algorithms are not preferred for simple problems.

o RL algorithms require huge data and computations.
o Too much reinforcement learning can lead to an overload of states which can weaken the results.