The following outline is provided as an overview of, and topical guide to, machine learning:
Machine learning (ML) is a subfield of artificial intelligence within computer science that evolved from the study of pattern recognition and computational learning theory. In 1959, Arthur Samuel defined machine learning as a "field of study that gives computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed". ML involves the study and construction of algorithms that can learn from and make predictions on data. These algorithms operate by building a model from a training set of example observations to make data-driven predictions or decisions expressed as outputs, rather than following strictly static program instructions.