Independent and Identically Distributed (IID) in Machine Learning: Assumptions and Implications

Introduction

Everton Gomede, PhD
4 min readMay 27, 2023

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In machine learning, the concept of independent and identically distributed (IID) plays a critical role in various aspects of data analysis, model training, and evaluation. IID assumptions are fundamental in ensuring the reliability and validity of many machine learning algorithms and statistical techniques. This essay explores the significance of IID in machine learning, its assumptions, and its implications on model development and performance.

Understanding IID in Machine Learning

In the context of machine learning, IID refers to the assumption that the training data used to build a model are independently and randomly sampled from the same underlying distribution. Each data point is assumed to be independent of others and follows the same distributional characteristics. This assumption enables the application of powerful statistical methods and learning algorithms that rely on the absence of systematic dependencies or biases within the data.

Assumptions of IID in Machine Learning

  1. Independence: The independence assumption implies that the occurrence or value of one data point does not provide any information…

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Everton Gomede, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow Computer Scientist at the University of British Columbia creating innovative algorithms to distill complex data into actionable insights.