Insights Digital transformation
Machine learning and artificial intelligence: what they are and how they’re used
In a nutshell, machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence in which machines are trained using data, which they analyse to produce an output. The input can be as simple as a set of features that define what an object is, or as complex as a recommendation algorithm that gathers users’ behaviour over time to push relevant information — as businesses do for marketing.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is very broad: it is the ability of a computer program to think and act like a human. Applications and machines can be programmed to simulate human intelligence — popular examples are Siri and Alexa. You may be using AI every day without realising it. When you use social media, the application may already be studying how you use the internet and predicting what information you will want the next time you log in.
Other practical applications of machine learning and AI:
- Navigation tools such as Waze — at certain times of day the app asks whether you are heading to the place you usually go, like work.
- Ride-hailing networks such as Grab or Uber — fares are estimated from traffic and demand surges at a given time of day.
- Social media personalisation — your newsfeed is shaped by what you usually view.
- Face recognition — upload a photo with friends and the app suggests who to tag.
- Chatbot customer support — product questions answered by a bot trained on previous customer inquiries.
- Fraud detection — machine learning secures internet transactions and detects money laundering with sophisticated algorithms.
The difference between machine learning or AI and a normal software application is that the output and system response are not programmed by engineers; the system learns from algorithms and data analysis.
There are many more potential uses of machine learning and AI — not just for everyday life, but for solving real business challenges.
Have a business challenge you want to solve with ML or AI? Consult with us or email info@n-pax.com.