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what's your definition of inference, and what do you call the purpose of a machine learning algorithm, and how does that purpose differ from a statistics approa
by RockyMcNuts 10y ago
what's your definition of inference, and what do you call the purpose of a machine learning algorithm, and how does that purpose differ from a statistics approach?
perhaps I used the term incorrectly but a dictionary defines inference as "a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning."
bottom line... similar objectives, slightly different if often overlapping emphases and bags of tricks.
- achompas 10y agoInference, in the context of statistical analysis, refers to the task of understanding underlying properties of a distribution. This is the definition used by practitioners. Machine learning practitioners care more about computational performance or generalizability beyond seen data than they care about properties of a data-generating distribution. Your "bottom line" summary and repeated reference to algorithms as "bags of tricks" are reductionist statements suggesting you don't understand the nuanced, but important, differences between the fields.
- RockyMcNuts 10y agoah, thanks. I look forward to smarter folks than me elucidating the nuanced differences. I had a distinguished math professor who taught me that mathematics is the application of cheap tricks and bad jokes. He didn't take himself too seriously. When I learned about random forests I couldn't help having a good laugh, it's a cheap trick in the finest sense of the word.