What is Meta-Learning?

One of the fastest-growing areas of research in machine learning is the area of meta-learning. Meta-learning, in the machine learning context, is the use of machine learning algorithms to assist in the training and optimization of other machine learning models. As meta-learning is becoming more and more popular and more meta-learning techniques are being developed, it's beneficial to have an understanding of what meta-learning is and to have a sense of the various ways it can be applied. Let's examine the ideas behind meta-learning, types of meta-learning, as well as some of the ways meta-learning can be used. The term meta-learning was coined by Donald Maudsley to describe a process by which people begin to shape what they learn, becoming "increasingly in control of habits of perception, inquiry, learning, and growth that they have internalized".