Analytics Innovation, Issue 4 Magazines Chief Data Officer Innovation Enterprise Creativity & Innovation for success

Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that enables machines to learn on their own, without much human supervision, drinking deeply from the well of Big Data. Computers essentially write and follow their own programs based on the statistical relationships they discover in unstructured data--and are roiling industries ranging from credit cards to automobiles in the process. "It's speed and the ability to learn from data that gives machine learning the power to provide tremendous insights in ways that humans could never do on their own or with basic business-intelligence tools," says Mike Tuchen, CEO of Talend, a Los Altos, California-based big-data integration firm. Or machine learning "can use algorithms to mine historical data for outcomes that are different than with traditional simulation." At financial companies, for instance, machine learning can assess insider-trading activities and identify potential fraudulent activities that could trip a regulatory investigation.