05. Model Selection: Choosing the Right Algorithm

PRTDM2-785 AI Trading C2 L1 Vid6 Model Selection

Choosing the Right Algorithm

Selecting an algorithm involves a blend of science and art, aiming to find the best-suited model from several viable options based on different criteria:

  • Output Type: Ensure the algorithm aligns with your desired outcome.

    • Supervised Learning: Algorithms learn from labeled data to predict outputs for new data, like predicting house prices based on historical sales.
    • Unsupervised Learning: Deals with unlabeled data, utilizing clustering to categorize information like customer purchase habits.
  • Algorithm Assumptions: Respect the model's assumptions to prevent sub-optimal results. For instance, violating a linear regression's linearity assumption can lead to inaccurate predictions.

  • Package Availability: Algorithms must run on the system's available packages to be useful.

  • Data Volume: Match algorithm requirements with data scale; some need vast data, particularly deep learning models not covered here.

Start with simple models and expand complexity as skills improve.

What does it mean for machine learning algorithms to have assumptions?

SOLUTION: Assumptions outline the expected relationships within the data and the underlying model.