AI Basics: Demystifying UnSupervised Learning | Elanthirayan | Oct 2024

SeniorTechInfo
3 Min Read
Elanthirayan

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more common in our lives, and one of the important ways AI works is through Unsupervised Learning. But what does that mean? Let’s break it down in a way anyone can understand!

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Unsupervised learning is when a computer is given a lot of information, but no clear instructions on what to do with it. The computer has to figure out patterns or similarities in the data by itself.

Think of it like this: You give a child a box full of mixed toys — cars, dolls, balls, and blocks. You don’t tell them how to organize the toys. The child starts sorting them based on what looks similar, maybe by color, size, or type. The child isn’t told what the toys are, but they learn to group them based on what they notice. This is exactly what a computer does in unsupervised learning — it organizes things on its own without being given labels.

Let’s imagine you use a music app that plays a lot of different songs, but none of the songs are labeled by genre (like pop, rock, jazz, etc.). The app doesn’t know what genre each song is, but it has information about each song, like:

  • How fast the beat is.
  • The instruments used.
  • The mood of the song (happy, sad, etc.).

The app uses unsupervised learning to group songs that sound similar together. Even though the app doesn’t know the genre, it might create groups of songs that are all fast and upbeat, or all slow and calm. These groups help the app figure out which songs are similar so it can recommend songs to you based on what you like.

Let’s say a supermarket wants to understand its customers better, but they don’t know exactly who is buying what. They give a computer data about:

  • How much money customers spend.
  • How often they visit.
  • What types of products they buy.

Without any labels, the computer uses unsupervised learning to group the customers. It might find that some customers:

  • Spend a lot and shop every week.
  • Buy mostly fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Only shop during sales.

Now the supermarket can use this information to offer better deals or personalize promotions for each group of customers, even though they didn’t know these groups existed before!

Unsupervised learning is like letting a computer figure things out on its own. It groups similar things together without knowing exactly what they are. From recommending songs to organizing customers, unsupervised learning helps AI understand the world in new ways.

Got any questions? Let me know!

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