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Supervised learning vs. unsupervised learning: What’s the difference?

Supervised learning and unsupervised learning are two fundamental approaches in the field of machine learning, each with distinct characteristics and applications.

Supervised Learning:

  • Definition: Supervised learning involves training a model on a labeled dataset, where the desired outputs or outcomes are already known. The goal is for the model to learn the mapping from inputs to outputs so that it can predict outcomes for unseen data.
  • Example: An example of supervised learning is email spam detection. The model is trained with many email messages along with their labels (spam or not spam), and it learns to classify new emails as spam or not spam.

Unsupervised Learning:

  • Definition: Unsupervised learning involves training a model on data without explicit instructions on what to do with it. The system tries to learn the patterns, structures, or relationships in the data without any labeled outcomes.
  • Example: A common example of unsupervised learning is clustering. For instance, a retailer might use clustering to segment customers into different groups based on purchasing behavior, without any prior knowledge of what these groups might be.

In the context of cloud computing, both supervised and unsupervised learning can be implemented using various services. For example, Tencent Cloud offers a range of machine learning services that support both approaches, providing tools for data processing, model training, and prediction. These services enable users to leverage the power of machine learning without the need for extensive infrastructure setup.

By understanding the differences between supervised and unsupervised learning, organizations can choose the appropriate approach for their specific data analysis and decision-making needs.