Machine Learning, Manufacturing, Production, And The OODA Loop

U.S. Air Force pilot and researcher John Boyd once proposed a model known as the OODA loop: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. Boyd suggested that two pilots locked in a battle would constantly need to observe what their opponent was doing, orient themselves in relation to their opponent's tactical maneuvering, decide what they should do, and then act to counteract the opponent's tactics. At the same time, the opponent would be doing the same thing. As a "loop," this ballet would continue until one pilot could get "inside" of the opponent's OODA loop and process enough information quicker than the opponent could react, and that pilot would typically win the fight. In essence, this is what machine learning today is all about.