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| | Ask HN: Is machine learning just glorified convex optimisation and statistics? | |
9 points by noob_eng on April 8, 2023 | hide | past | favorite | 15 comments
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| | I was going through Prof Stephen Boyd's video lecture series on Convex Optimisation on youtube. I realised that it is basically what we call machine learning, popularly, with proper grounding in theory. Most machine learning courses do hand wavy explanations of the methods and teach step by step algorithms to work on data even in top schools. Why not teach proper theory based teaching like Boyd does? It will prevent practitioners from applying wrong methods to unsuitable datasets and arrive at false conclusions. |
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Now we have non-convex neural network models which require non-convex optimization which to me (again a pleb take) is just tricks of the trade from complexity theorists adapting the principles of convex optimization to things like gradient descent in deep learning by observing continuous local smoothness of the training objective at the stability edge thus some convex optimization can be used.
Why it's not taught instead of the confusing intro courses I'm sure have their reasons but it's another example of following what the universities teach in undergrad is not always the best road map for self-learners.