Explain the difference between AI, ML, and DL to anyone
Last year I visited Florida when I took a cab from the airport to my hotel. I was on a business call discussing a deliverable with my teammate. I happened to use the abbreviations AI, ML, and DL, multiple times as required by the nature of my work. My cabbie was listening (eves-dropping haha!) and started a conversation with me once my call ended.
Cabbie: Are you an engineer?
Me: Yup! (Changing the world, one code at a time)
Cabbie: I heard you used the words AI, and ML multiple times in your call. My grandkids also use these words very often, they tried to explain them to me — however, it is outside my understanding.
I took this as a challenge, I had to explain these abbreviations and the difference between them all! Though my cabbie did not have a tech-savvy background he had the curiosity to ask and learn more, to have more conversations with his grandchildren too! I explained the details, and the hour-long drive seemed to be a very productive Q&A session — who would have thought?
This also got me thinking, about how many of us want to explain to our grandparents or others these technologies but have been unable to. Here is a small (mostly generic) explanation you can utilize:
AI stands for Artificial Intelligence and it’s a broad field of study that focuses on creating machines that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding natural language, recognizing objects, and making decisions.
ML stands for Machine Learning, it’s a subset of AI that focuses on giving machines the ability to learn and improve their performance without being explicitly programmed. It’s like giving a computer the ability to learn by itself, by analyzing data and making predictions.
Deep learning is a specific type of Machine Learning, it’s a method that uses neural networks, which are modeled after the human brain, to learn and make predictions. It’s like giving a computer the ability to think and reason, like a human.
For example, Deep learning is used in image recognition, where a computer can be trained to recognize objects in pictures or videos. ML is used in self-driving cars, where the car can learn from data and improve its driving skills over time. AI is used in personal assistants like Siri or Alexa, where the assistant can understand natural language and perform tasks for you.
So to put it simply, AI is the overall field that encompasses many technologies, including Machine Learning, and Deep Learning is a specific type of Machine Learning that is based on neural networks.
I know these are trendy, hot topics. Hope this blog post is helpful! I will be creating many more such easy definitions of technologically complex concepts to make the world a simpler place — one blog post at a time.
