Machines That Learn in the Wild

Machine learning algorithms are a set of computerised techniques for recognising patterns in data and ‘learn’ to predict outcomes based on those patterns. These powerful techniques are transforming many aspects of our lives but the biggest changes are yet to come. Greater computing power, larger datasets and improvements to the algorithms are opening up many new opportunities. Personalised medicine, AI assistants and driverless cars are some of the most exciting developments which may soon be possible. But with the current hype it’s difficult to get to grips with what these systems can actually do and where their limitations lie. What can machine learning algorithms do and what can’t they do? What are the challenges and what lies ahead? Our report explores in more detail what these algorithms are, what they are capable of doing and the key future challenges. Read the report: http://www.nesta.org.uk/machines-learn-wild Photo credit: Robot Forest, Vincent Ferron, Flickr, CC by NC 2.0.