Chapter 1. Toward deep learning: a machine-learning introduction
This chapter covers:
- Machine learning and its differences from traditional programming
- Problems that can and can’t be solved with machine learning
- Machine learning’s relationship to artificial intelligence
- The structure of a machine-learning system
- Disciplines of machine learning
As long as computers have existed, programmers have been interested in artificial intelligence (AI): implementing human-like behavior on a computer. Games have long been a popular subject for AI researchers. During the personal computer era, AIs have overtaken humans at checkers, backgammon, chess, and almost all classic board games. But the ancient strategy game Go remained stubbornly out of reach for computers for decades. Then in 2016, Google DeepMind’s AlphaGo AI challenged 14-time world champion Lee Sedol and won four out of five games. The next revision of AlphaGo was completely out of reach for human players: it won 60 straight games, taking down just about every notable Go player in the process.