(pronounced as vid-he)
Why I do it?
The natural and physical sciences are on the brink of transformation; mainly because the ability to collect data systematically has exploded. The intuitive and (often) deterministic models of systems are being replaced by abstract models of 'data'. In physics for instance, the discovery of exotic particles is largely dependent on the statistical prowess of scientists rather than veteran physics ability. Machine learning offers practical algorithms to parse large volumes of data to answer targetted scientific questions, for instance, how is x related to y. The classical models of cause and effect are deeply limited in their ability to encode intrinsic relationships within the data and account for their evolution. ML is far more general in how it identifies hidden characteristics. Amongst its most successful applications include - discovery of the Higgs boson, gene sequencing, classifying astronomical objects, medical diagnosis & space science. I enjoy it because I believe it is transformative and it is the FUTURE.
AI/ML is not only transforming science. In financial markets and several other arenas (like politics), predicting the future is the holy grail. There is a dearth of people who can straddle the different spheres and connect the dots - build and deploy ML and connect it with problems that can leverage their force.
Besides the extensive utilitarian benefits of training machines to do a wide variety of useful things in science & society the need for people who can unravel and explain the workings of learning algorithms is ever on the rise.

#software #will #transform #science