machine learning

noun

1
: a computational method that is a subfield of artificial intelligence and that enables a computer to learn to perform tasks by analyzing a large dataset without being explicitly programmed
The company is curating the overall topics manually, but Twitter will be relying on machine learning to intelligently populate the topics themselves so that the tweets can stay up to date.Lucas Matney
Unsupervised learning, also known as unsupervised machine learning, uses machine learning algorithms to analyze and cluster unlabeled datasets. These algorithms discover hidden patterns or data groupings without the need for human intervention.IBM
Supervised machine learning requires labeled data to adjust the parameters of the model during training. … But without quality training data, supervised learning models will end up making poor inferences.Ben Dickson
Reinforcement machine learning trains machines through trial and error to take the best action by establishing a reward system. Reinforcement learning can train models to play games or train autonomous vehicles to drive by telling the machine when it made the right decisions, which helps it learn over time what actions it should take.Sara Brown
2
: the branch of computer science that employs machine learning
An entire subspecialty known as machine learning is devoted to building algorithms that allow computers to develop new behaviors based on experience.Adam Piore
While many scholars in the developing field of machine learning were focused on improving algorithms, [Cynthia] Rudin instead wanted to use AI's power to help society.Duke University
abbreviation ML

Examples of machine learning in a Sentence

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Typically, such predictive AI projects demand heavy involvement by experienced machine learning experts and a lengthy project lifecycle to define the requirements, prepare the data, train a model, evaluate it and integrate it for deployment. Eric Siegel, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025 The researchers created novel, realistic, challenging, and unconventional machine learning tasks to compare human experts and AI agents. Garrison Lovely, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025 Sony and Microsoft have only recently started implementing AI and machine learning into their consoles, with features like the PS5 Pro's PSSR, but PC hardware manufacturer Nvidia has been at it for much longer. Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024 Readers Also Viewed These Items 3G Capital Case Study Buy Now Consulting Is More Than Giving Advice Magazine Article Buy Now Read more on Innovation or related topics Generative AI and AI and machine learning This story is by the staff at Harvard Business Review. Hbr Editors, Harvard Business Review, 12 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for machine learning 

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of machine learning was in 1953

Dictionary Entries Near machine learning

Cite this Entry

“Machine learning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/machine%20learning. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

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