This sentence sums it up perfectly: > In many cases, these algorithms are completely useless in aiding with the understanding of data and assist only in certai

This sentence sums it up perfectly: > In many cases, these algorithms are completely useless in aiding with the understanding of data and assist only in certain types of uninterpretable predictive modeling. Statistics is a crucial component of the scientific method. It is the tool with which scientists check whether their theories agree with empirical evidence. Machine learning is about building mathematical models that are apparently "right", in the sense that they have predictive power, but that don't necessarily improve our understanding of the data-generating processes involved.