What Is Machine Learning?

To learn a skill, we gather knowledge, practice carefully, and monitor our performance. Eventually, we become better at that activity. Machine learning is a technique that allows computers to do just that. We all know what we mean by intelligence when we say it, but describing it is problematic. Leaving aside emotion and self-awareness, a working description could be the ability to learn new skills and absorb knowledge and to apply them to new situations to achieve the desired outcome.