ISP560

01 - Introduction to
Machine Learning
Mohd Razif Shamsuddin
0193371231
 ISP560
01- Introduction to Machine
Learning
Mohd Razif Shamsuddin :: Faculty of Computer Science & Mathematics
Introduction to Machine
Learning
What is Machine Learning?
1.1 Core Definition:
• Machine Learning (ML) is a branch of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) focused on building systems that can
automatically learn and improve from experience
without being explicitly programmed.
• It involves algorithms that process large amounts of
data to find patterns, make decisions, and adapt to new
inputs.
Exercise : Do your own search
on ML definitions
• Use Chatgpt, google, Wikipedia.
• Share your findings.
• What are the similarity of these definitions.
• What are the repetitive keywords.
Introduction to Machine
Learning
1.2 Alternative Definitions:
• Definition 1 (Tom M. Mitchell, 1997):
"A computer program is said to learn from experience E with respect to some class of tasks T and
performance measure P, if its performance at tasks in T, as measured by P, improves with experience E."
Explanation: ML allows systems to improve performance on tasks as they gain more experience (data),
measured by a specific metric.

• Definition 2 (IBM Cloud):

"Machine learning is a subset of AI that focuses on the use of data and algorithms to imitate the way humans
learn, gradually improving accuracy."
Explanation: It emphasizes learning in a human-like manner, where accuracy improves with more exposure
to data.

• Definition 3 (Wikipedia):
"Machine learning is the study of computer algorithms that improve automatically through experience and
by the use of data."
Explanation: This definition highlights the autonomy of ML algorithms in evolving based on their exposure
to data.
Introduction to Machine
Learning
1.3 Key Components of Machine Learning:
• Data: The fuel for machine learning models, consisting of
historical records, images, or any form of information the
algorithm can process.
• Algorithms: Mathematical models designed to process data,
recognize patterns, and make predictions.
• Experience (Training): The process of feeding data to
algorithms to allow them to learn patterns and adjust their
predictions based on feedback.
• Learning: The algorithm's ability to improve its performance
over time as it is exposed to more data.
Introduction to Machine
Learning
1.4 How Machine Learning Generally Works:
• Step 1: Data Collection – Gather historical or real-time data for the task.
• Step 2: Data Preprocessing – Clean and prepare the data to ensure the
model can use it effectively.
• Step 3: Model Selection – Choose the right algorithm (e.g., decision
trees, neural networks).
• Step 4: Training – Feed the data into the model to teach it the patterns
and relationships.
• Step 5: Testing – Evaluate how well the model performs on new, unseen
data.
• Step 6: Deployment – Use the trained model to make predictions or
automate tasks in real-world applications.
Introduction to Machine
Learning
1.5 Real-World Applications of Machine Learning:
• Healthcare: Predicting patient outcomes, drug
discovery, diagnosing diseases.
• Finance: Fraud detection, algorithmic trading, risk
assessment.
• Retail: Personalized recommendations, dynamic
pricing, demand forecasting.
• Technology: Speech recognition (e.g., Siri, Google
Assistant), self-driving cars, facial recognition systems.
Introduction to Machine
Learning
1.6 Importance of Machine Learning:
• Efficiency: Automates complex and repetitive tasks.
• Scalability: Can handle large datasets and make
accurate predictions without human intervention.
• Adaptability: Continuously improves as more data
becomes available.
• Decision-making: Helps businesses and systems make
data-driven decisions that improve performance and
outcomes.
02 - Types of Machine Learning
Mohd Razif Shamsuddin :: Faculty of Computer Science & Mathematics
Types of Machine Learning
2.1 Supervised Learning
• Definition: Supervised learning involves training a model on
a labeled dataset, where the input data is paired with the
correct output. The model learns to map inputs to the
correct outputs by minimizing the error between its
predictions and the actual labels.
• How it Works:
• Training: The model is fed with input-output pairs (features and
labels). It learns a function that maps inputs to outputs by
adjusting its parameters to minimize prediction errors.
• Testing: After training, the model is tested on new data (input
features) to predict outputs.
Types of Machine Learning
2.1 Supervised Learning
Example:
Image Classification: A dataset of images (input) is labeled with the
objects in the images (output). The model learns to classify new, unseen
images based on the patterns it has learned.
Spam Detection: Models are trained on labeled emails (spam or not
spam) and can automatically filter emails.
Predictive Maintenance: In industrial settings, data on equipment
performance (e.g., temperature, vibration) is used to predict equipment
failure.
Medical Diagnosis: Given patient data (input features like symptoms,
test results), the model predicts the presence or absence of a disease.
Types of Machine Learning
2.2 Unsupervised Learning
• Definition: Unsupervised learning works with data that
is not labeled. The model explores the structure of the
data, identifying patterns, groups, or associations within
the dataset without predefined labels.
• How it Works:
• Clustering: The model groups similar data points together
based on certain features.
• Dimensionality Reduction: The model reduces the number
of variables in the data while retaining important information,
helping to visualize or speed up data processing.
Types of Machine Learning
2.2 Unsupervised Learning
Example:
Customer Segmentation: A retail company uses purchase data to
group customers into segments based on behavior, preferences, and
purchasing habits without knowing the labels upfront.
Market Segmentation: Grouping customers into distinct segments for
targeted marketing.
Anomaly Detection: Identifying abnormal patterns in network traffic,
financial transactions, or sensor data to detect fraud or system failures.
Recommender Systems: Clustering users based on their viewing habits
to recommend personalized content on platforms like Netflix or YouTube.
Types of Machine Learning
2.3 Reinforcement Learning
• Definition: Reinforcement learning involves an agent learning to
make decisions by interacting with an environment. The agent
takes actions and receives feedback in the form of rewards or
penalties, learning from this feedback over time.
• How it Works:
• Agent: The decision-making entity.
• Environment: The context or system with which the agent interacts.
• Reward: Feedback given to the agent to reinforce good decisions or
penalize bad decisions.
• Goal: Maximize cumulative rewards over time.
Types of Machine Learning
2.3 Reinforcement Learning
Example:
Game AI: An AI agent learns to play chess by playing games and receiving
feedback (win, lose, or draw) after each game. It improves its strategy by
maximizing its chances of winning.
Autonomous Vehicles: A self-driving car learns to navigate through traffic by
taking actions (steering, accelerating) and receiving rewards based on how well
it avoids obstacles or follows traffic rules.
Robotics: Robots learn to perform tasks like assembling parts or walking by
interacting with their environment and adjusting their actions based on
feedback.
Personalized Marketing: E-commerce platforms use reinforcement learning
to optimize product recommendations by learning which items result in
purchases (reward) or customer disinterest (penalty).
Exercise : Give your own
example of ML applications

Share your thoughts

Types of Machine Learning
2.4 Semi-Supervised Learning (Optional)
Definition: Semi-supervised learning is a combination of supervised and
unsupervised learning, where the model is trained on a small amount of labeled data
and a large amount of unlabeled data. It helps reduce the need for extensive labeling
of datasets.
How it Works:
• The model first identifies patterns in the unlabeled data and then refines those patterns
using the small amount of labeled data.
Example:
• Speech Recognition: A voice assistant (like Google Assistant or Siri) is trained using a
large collection of unlabeled audio data combined with a smaller set of transcribed
recordings.
• Web Page Classification: Using a small number of manually labeled pages, the model can
categorize a much larger dataset of unlabeled pages into predefined categories.
• Object Detection: Semi-supervised learning can improve the accuracy of object detection
in images, especially when labeling every image is too time-consuming.
Summary of Applications Across
Types of ML
Supervised Learning:
• Predictive models, medical diagnosis, spam filtering, loan approval
systems.
Unsupervised Learning:
• Customer segmentation, fraud detection, genetic data analysis,
recommender systems.
Reinforcement Learning:
• Robotics, autonomous systems, personalized marketing, game AI,
resource management (e.g., optimizing power grids).
Semi-Supervised Learning:
• Speech recognition, web categorization, text and image
classification.
03 -Biological Network vs Artificial
Network
Mohd Razif Shamsuddin :: Faculty of Computer Science & Mathematics
The Connection Between Biological
and Artificial Networks
3.1 Introduction to Neural Networks
Biological Neural Networks:
• Biological neural networks, like those in the human brain,
consist of interconnected neurons that transmit electrical and
chemical signals to process information. These networks
enable humans and animals to think, perceive, learn, and
respond to the environment.
Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs):
• Artificial Neural Networks are computational models inspired
by the way biological neurons work. ANNs are composed of
artificial neurons (also called nodes or units) that are arranged
in layers and can learn to recognize patterns in data.
The Connection Between Biological
and Artificial Networks
3.2 Components of Biological Neurons
Neuron: The basic unit of the nervous system. A neuron
receives signals, processes them, and transmits
information to other neurons.
Key Parts:
• Dendrites: Receive input signals from other neurons.
• Cell Body (Soma): Processes incoming signals.
• Axon: Transmits signals to other neurons.
• Synapse: The connection between the axon of one neuron and the
dendrite of another neuron, where information is transmitted.
The Connection Between Biological
and Artificial Networks
3.3 Components of Artificial Neurons (Perceptrons)
Artificial Neuron (Node): The basic unit of an artificial neural
network. It takes in inputs, processes them using a weighted
sum, applies an activation function, and produces an output.
• Key Parts:
• Inputs (x1, x2, ..., xn): Corresponds to the features or data points fed into
the network.
• Weights (w1, w2, ..., wn): Determine the importance of each input.
• Summation Function: Combines the weighted inputs.
• Activation Function: Decides whether the neuron should be activated (fired)
based on the combined input.
• Output: The final value after applying the activation function, passed on to
other neurons in the network.
The Connection Between Biological
and Artificial Networks
The Connection Between Biological
and Artificial Networks
Here is an analogy that compares the components of biological neurons and artificial neurons:
Biological Neuron Artificial Neuron Analogy
Inputs: Data points or
Dendrites: Receive signals Both collect input
features fed into the neural
from other neurons. information.
network.
Summation Function:
Cell Body (Soma): Both perform the initial
Aggregates the weighted
Processes incoming signals. processing of input signals.
inputs.
Axon: Transmits signals to Output: The result passed Both carry forward the
other neurons. to the next layer of neurons. processed information.
Synapse: The junction Weights: Influence the Both regulate the signal
between neurons where strength and importance of strength during
signals are transmitted. each input. transmission.
Activation Function:
Action Potential: The Both determine whether a
Decides whether to activate
threshold that determines if neuron will fire based on
the neuron based on the
a signal is transmitted. stimuli.
input.
The Connection Between Biological
and Artificial Networks
Biological Neural
Artificial Neural Network Key Differences
Network
Neurons communicate
Neurons communicate using through mathematical Biological signals are slower,
electrical impulses and computations (weighted while artificial ones are
chemical signals. sums and activation computed quickly.
functions).
Learning occurs through
Artificial networks learn
strengthening or weakening Learning occurs by adjusting
through algorithms like
synapses (synaptic the weights during training.
backpropagation.
plasticity).
Simpler in comparison,
Highly complex, with billions
typically with millions of Biological networks are far
of neurons and trillions of
neurons in deep learning more complex.
connections in the brain.
models.
Adaptable to a wide range of Specialized for specific tasks
Artificial networks require
stimuli in dynamic like classification, prediction,
large data and are task-spec
The Connection Between Biological
and Artificial Networks
Example in Biological Neurons:When you touch a hot
object, the neurons in your skin (sensory neurons) send
signals through dendrites to the cell body, where the
information is processed. If the stimulus is strong enough
(e.g., the object is very hot), the axon will transmit the
signal to other neurons, eventually reaching your brain,
which triggers a response (like pulling your hand away).
The Connection Between Biological
and Artificial Networks
Example in Artificial Neural Networks:In an image
recognition task, the inputs could be pixel values of an
image. The artificial neuron takes these values, applies
weights to them (like how strong each feature is), sums
the values, and passes them through an activation
function. If the signal passes a certain threshold, the
neuron activates and passes information to the next layer
of the network. The final output could be a classification
label, like “cat” or “dog” in the case of animal
recognition.
The Connection Between Biological
and Artificial Networks
3.8 Conclusion: Inspiration from Biology
• Artificial neural networks are simplified versions of
biological systems but can be very powerful in solving
complex computational tasks.
• Despite the similarities, the human brain remains vastly
more efficient and adaptable, while ANNs excel at
specific tasks with speed and precision in well-defined
domains.
• Key Takeaway: Understanding biological networks
provides valuable insights into creating more advanced
and efficient artificial systems.