What Do Managers and Decision Makers Need to Know About AutoML?
You want to be working in machine learning and artificial intelligence, but you don’t have the talent yet. You’re telling your board members that…
You want to be working in machine learning and artificial intelligence, but you don’t have the talent yet. You’re telling your board members that you’re using AI when you’re really just doing some basic data analysis. You feel like everyone is working in ML and you’re here just trying to find even one person that can do the job. Too late. Facebook hired them out from under you.
Just kidding, but I get the anxiety. We’re on the edge of changing the very way we think about work, and the shortage of talent able to understand the concepts and build what needs to be built are in short demand. Even if you could find that one unicorn, the job tasks are too big for one person to do in one day.
AutoML could change all that. Last yearDataRobot raised $54 million in a Series C round, which added up to $111 million in total funding. While opinions are mixed about whether we’re on the edge of democratization or a colossal anti-climax, it’s clear the interest is there. Let’s take a look at AutoML, the hype, and skepticism. Here’s what you need to know.
Automated machine learning isn’t going to get rid of your need for data scientists and developers. Instead, it automates the process ofalgorithm selection, iterative modeling, hyperparameter tuning, and model assessment.
Think of it like this. You’ve got a dataset ready to go. You identify the labels and push a button to begin the model. You don’t have to choose which algorithm is appropriate. You don’t have to build the framework. You get an optimized model that’s ready to go with little expertise needed.
It’s not going to frame your question or build your benchmarks. It will let you focus on your business problem instead of getting lost in a technical process you aren’t familiar with. You upload your dataset, handle the labeling, and then the rest is handled behind the scenes.
