21/11/2022, 00:26 Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning – What’s The Difference?

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Deep
Learning vs.
Machine
Learning –
What’s The
Difference?
Arne Growth Machine
·
Wolfewicz Builder
November 16, 2022

To most people, the terms deep learning and Machine Learning seem
like interchangeable buzzwords in the AI world. However, that’s not
true. Hence, everyone who seeks to better understand the field of
Artificial Intelligence should begin by understanding the terms and
their differences. The good news: It’s not as difficult as some articles on
the topic suggest.

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21/11/2022, 00:26 Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning – What’s The Difference?

What's the difference between deep

learning and Machine Learning?
Machine Learning means computers learning from data using
algorithms to perform a task without being explicitly programmed.
Deep learning uses a complex structure of algorithms modeled on the
human brain. This enables the processing of unstructured data such
as documents, images, and text.

Machine Learning is a type of Artificial Intelligence. Deep learning is an

especially complex part of Machine Learning.

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21/11/2022, 00:26 Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning – What’s The Difference?

To break it down in a single sentence: Deep learning is a specialized

subset of Machine Learning which, in turn, is a subset of Artificial
Intelligence. In other words, deep learning is Machine Learning.
But let’s dig a little bit deeper.
Prefer to consume this content in audio format? Check out our video
below!

Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning [What's the difference?]

What is Machine Learning?

Machine Learning is the general term for when computers learn from
data. It describes the intersection of computer science and statistics
where algorithms are used to perform a specific task without being
explicitly programmed; instead, they recognize patterns in the data
and make predictions once new data arrives.

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21/11/2022, 00:26 Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning – What’s The Difference?

In general, the learning process of these algorithms can either be

supervised or unsupervised, depending on the data being used to feed
the algorithms. If you want to dive in a little bit deeper into the
differences between supervised and unsupervised learning have a
read through this article.
A traditional Machine Learning algorithm can be something as simple
as linear regression. For instance, imagine you want to predict your
income given your years of higher education. In the first step, you have
to define a function, e.g. income = y + x * years of education. Then, give
your algorithm a set of training data. This could be a simple table with
data on some people’s years of higher education and their associated
income. Next, let your algorithm draw the line, e.g. through an ordinary
least squares (OLS) regression. Now, you can give the algorithm some
test data, e.g. your personal years of higher education, and let it
predict your income.
While this example sounds simple it does count as Machine Learning –
and yes, the driving force behind Machine Learning is ordinary
statistics. The algorithm learned to make a prediction without being
explicitly programmed, only based on patterns and inference.
So much about Machine Learning in general – to summarize:
Machine Learning is at the intersection of computer science and
statistics through which computers receive the ability to learn
without being explicitly programmed.
There are two broad categories of Machine Learning problems:
supervised and unsupervised learning.
A Machine Learning algorithm can be something as simple as an
OLS regression.
Let's now examine how the term deep learning relates to all of this.

What is deep learning?

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21/11/2022, 00:26 Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning – What’s The Difference?

Deep learning algorithms can be regarded both as a sophisticated

and mathematically complex evolution of machine learning
algorithms. The field has been getting lots of attention lately and for
good reason: Recent developments have led to results that were not
thought to be possible before.
Deep learning describes algorithms that analyze data with a logical
structure similar to how a human would draw conclusions. Note that
this can happen both through supervised and unsupervised learning.
To achieve this, deep learning applications use a layered structure of
algorithms called an artificial neural network (ANN). The design of such
an ANN is inspired by the biological neural network of the human brain,
leading to a process of learning that’s far more capable than that of
standard machine learning models.

A simple artificial neural network

Consider the example ANN in the image above. The leftmost layer is
called the input layer, the rightmost layer of the output layer. The
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21/11/2022, 00:26 Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning – What’s The Difference?

middle layers are called hidden layers because their values aren't
observable in the training set. In simple terms, hidden layers are
calculated values used by the network to do its "magic". The more
hidden layers a network has between the input and output layer, the
deeper it is. In general, any ANN with two or more hidden layers is
referred to as a deep neural network.
Today, deep learning is used in many fields. In automated driving, for
instance, deep learning is used to detect objects, such as STOP signs or
pedestrians. The military uses deep learning to identify objects from
satellites, e.g. to discover safe or unsafe zones for its troops. Of course,
the consumer electronics industry is full of deep learning, too. Home
assistance devices such as Amazon Alexa, for example, rely on deep
learning algorithms to respond to your voice and know your
preferences.
How about a more concrete example? Imagine the company Tesla
using a deep learning algorithm for its cars to recognize STOP signs. In
the first step, the ANN would identify the relevant properties of the
STOP sign, also called features. Features may be specific structures in
the inputted image, such as points, edges, or objects. While a software
engineer would have to select the relevant features in a more
traditional Machine Learning algorithm, the ANN is capable of
automatic feature engineering. The first hidden layer might learn how
to detect edges, the next is how to differentiate colors, and the last
learn how to detect more complex shapes catered specifically to the
shape of the object we are trying to recognize. When fed with training
data, the deep learning algorithms would eventually learn from their
own errors whether the prediction was good, or whether it needs to
adjust.

Read more about AI in business here.

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21/11/2022, 00:26 Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning – What’s The Difference?

What the job of a neuron in an ANN really looks like.

Overall, through automatic feature engineering and its self-learning

capabilities, the deep learning algorithms need only little human
intervention. While this shows the huge potential of deep learning,
there are two main reasons why it has only recently attained so much
usability: data availability and computing power.
Firstly, deep learning requires incredibly vast amounts of data (we will
get to exceptions to that rule). Tesla’s autonomous driving software, for
instance, needs millions of images and video hours to function
properly.
Secondly, deep learning needs substantial computing power. However,
with the emergence of cloud computing infrastructure and high-
performance GPUs (graphic processing units, used for faster
calculations)  the time for training a deep learning network could be
reduced from weeks (!) to hours.
But probably one of the most important advances in the field of deep
learning is the emergence of transfer learning, i.e. the use of pre-
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21/11/2022, 00:26 Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning – What’s The Difference?

trained models. The reason: Transfer learning can be regarded as a

cure for the needs of large training datasets that were necessary for
ANNs to produce meaningful results.
These enormous data needs used to be the reason why ANN
algorithms weren't considered to be the optimal solution to all
problems in the past. However, for many applications, this need for
data can now be satisfied by using pre-trained models. In case you
want to dig deeper, we recently published an article on transfer
learning.
To sum up:
Deep learning is a specialized subset of Machine Learning.
Deep learning relies on a layered structure of algorithms called an
artificial neural network.
Deep learning has huge data needs but requires little human
intervention to function properly.
Transfer learning is a cure for the needs of large training datasets.
Learn more about ANN vs CNN vs RNN.

Playbook
A guide for all
technical and non-
technical people
interested in
optimizing their
b i

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21/11/2022, 00:26 Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning – What’s The Difference?

The main differences between

Machine Learning and deep
learning
This is a common question and if you have read this far, you probably
know by now that it should not be asked in that way. Deep learning
algorithms are Machine Learning algorithms. Therefore, it might be
better to think about what makes deep learning special within the field
of Machine Learning. The answer: the ANN algorithm structure, the
lower need for human intervention, and the larger data requirements.
First and foremost, while traditional Machine Learning algorithms have
a rather simple structure, such as linear regression or a decision tree,
deep learning is based on an artificial neural network. This multi-
layered ANN is, like a human brain, complex and intertwined.
Secondly, deep learning algorithms require much less human
intervention. Remember the Tesla example? If the STOP sign image
recognition was a more traditional machine learning algorithm, a
software engineer would manually choose features and a classifier to
sort images, check whether the output is as required, and adjust the
algorithm if this is not the case. As a deep learning algorithm, however,
the features are extracted automatically, and the algorithm learns
from its own errors (see image below).

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21/11/2022, 00:26 Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning – What’s The Difference?

The deep learning algorithm doesn't need a software engineer to

identify features but is capable of automatic feature engineering
through its neural network. (Source: softwaretestinghelp.com)

Thirdly, deep learning requires much more data than a traditional

Machine Learning algorithm to function properly. Machine Learning
works with a thousand data points, deep learning oftentimes only with
millions. Due to the complex multi-layer structure, a deep learning
system needs a large dataset to eliminate fluctuations and make high-
quality interpretations.
Find out more about Data Science vs ML vs AI

Got it. But what about coding?

Deep learning is still in its infancy in some areas but its power is
already enormous. It is mostly leveraged by large companies with vast
financial and human resources since building deep learning
algorithms used to be complex and expensive. But this is changing. We
at Levity believe that everyone should be able to build his own custom
deep learning solutions.

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21/11/2022, 00:26 Deep Learning vs. Machine Learning – What’s The Difference?

If you know how to build a Tensorflow model and run it across several
TPU instances in the cloud, you probably wouldn't have read this far. If
you don't, you have come to the right place. Because we are building
this platform for people like you. People with ideas about how AI could
be put to great use but who lack time or skills to make it work on a
technical level.
I am not going to claim that I could do it within a reasonable amount of
time, even though I claim to know a fair bit about programming, deep
learning and even deploying software in the cloud. So if this or any of
the other articles made you hungry, just get in touch. We are looking
for good use cases on a continuous basis and we are happy to have a
chat with you!

Learn more about precision and recall in Machine Learning.

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