Other Learning Paradigms
In modern machine learning, traditional categories like supervised and unsupervised learning do not encompass all learning scenarios. This section explores two other important paradigms: semi-supervised learning and reinforcement learning.
Semi-supervised Learning
This paradigm blends labeled and unlabeled data during the training process. It is especially useful when labeling data is time-consuming or costly, allowing a model to benefit from the guidance provided by labeled data while still making use of larger sets of unlabeled data. Common applications include text classification and image recognition.
Reinforcement Learning
Reinforcement learning is an area where agents learn by interacting with an environment, taking actions to maximize cumulative rewards. The agent receives feedback in the form of rewards (positive) or penalties (negative), driving its learning process. This paradigm is widely applied in robotics, gaming, and self-driving cars, where the goal is to optimize decision-making over time.
The significance of these learning paradigms lies in their ability to deal with huge datasets more effectively and in contexts where traditional learning strategies may fall short.