1 Fundamentals of transfer learning
This chapter covers
- A brief overview of transfer learning
- When and how to apply transfer learning
- Why you need to learn about transfer learning
- Some of the challenges associated with transfer learning
- An overview of real-world applications with a hands-on example
Learning is a process. A very involved process which assists in acquiring new knowledge and skills. While learning has been historically associated with sentient and evolved life forms, since the advent of computers and subsequent research in the field of artificial intelligence, we now associate the process of learning with machines as well. Virtual assistants, AI powered game players and even autonomous vehicles are a reality now. It is not surprising any more to have machines included in the list of entities that can learn.
As part of evolution, humans have refined the way we learn and adapt to different scenarios over the years. We have acquired this innate ability to use skills and knowledge across different tasks without always starting from zero. For instance, some of the common examples of this ability to transfer knowledge across different tasks are “knowing how to boil water ® one can learn to make tea”, “knowing how to ride a bicycle ® can help us to learn to ride a motorbike easily” or even “knowing how to do subtraction ® helps us to learn to perform division”