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Machine learning does not exist without data. Whether in bulk or in streams, models
are trained, evaluated, and improved through data. Machine learning lets us extract much
greater value out of data of all shapes and sizes. Machine learning can even be used to
enrich data. Consider the most recent code that you wrote dealing with user input. Odds
are, it dealt with numerical values, or relatively short string values. Modern programming
languages are incredibly powerful and efficient when dealing with those data types.
Expand that out a little bit, to images, video, sounds, or large volumes of text. What data
types exist to reason on these, not just manipulate them? Machine learning enriches data
by letting us address a larger variety of data, and by transforming it into things that can be
reasoned over in code. Cognitive APIs, like Microsoft’s Cognitive Services make it easy to
take an image and break it into component parts. Want to know what’s in the image, how
many people are in it, are they happy? All of that is available to you with a simple HTTP
method. The output of that easily goes into our programs to make a decision, such as
adjusting a thermostat based on the number of people in a room.
Devices are becoming smarter, and in many cases, more connected. Machine
learning models, built on data observed from those devices, enable better understanding
of the device and the environment around it. This enables more efficient devices to
be built, future designs to be influenced, but more importantly, can be used to predict
failures or identify anomalies. The “digital exhaust” from these devices is valuable, not
only for training new models, but also for being able to provide a mechanism to evaluate
the impact and outcome of models currently deployed. This stream of exhaust is key to
creating the virtuous cycle of model development, improvement, and improvements in
outcomes.
One of the most inspiring examples of this is Microsoft’s AI for Earth initiative, which
looks to provide grant funding to organizations leveraging AI to advance sustainability.
I’ve had the opportunity to interact with a number of the grantees, and the stories
of how they are transforming the way we consume, conserve, and manage natural
resources remind us of the power of software as a force for good. Every industry is being
transformed, and that is being powered by machine learning.
The other key aspect of “Why now,” is the cloud. The emergence of plentiful,
and powerful, compute capacity in the cloud, along with the hardware and software
innovations in the GPU space has helped to foster a massive wave of innovation, with
much of that coming in the area of deep learning. The fundamentals behind deep
learning are not new, neural networks modeling the functionality of the neurons in the
brain originated in the middle of the last century. Three things needed to come together
foreword