As children, we read futuristic fiction, where machines are able to think on a par with people. Today, what then seemed to us a fairy tale has become an objective reality.
We live in a time when the computer takes up more and more space in our lives. And if at the beginning of the century it was a luxury and was used mainly for work and computing, today even ordinary phones are mini-computers, much more powerful than those that were in offices at the beginning of the 2000s. Yes, there are phones! Even some refrigerators are able to determine what products are missing in them, and independently make orders via the Internet.
Computers manage our finances, security, solve everyday problems. Moreover, today you will not surprise anyone with the fact that you can talk to a computer, and sometimes a virtual interlocutor is more interesting, witty and more understanding than a living person. And this happens because he, this interlocutor, has the ability to self-learn, that is, each of the hundreds or thousands of dialogues that he leads in the same period of time is at the same time a lesson for him. So artificial intelligence learns new words, tasks, reactions, learns jokes, sayings, verbal turns. And now sometimes it happens not to understand with whom you are communicating: with a living person or with a computer.
But science still owes this leap into the future not to machines, but to people, those whose intelligence is unlikely to ever be able to surpass at least one computer – specialists in machine learning (artificial intelligence).
Who is a machine learning specialist?
A machine learning specialist is, one might say, the highest intelligence among those who are called “IT people”. They are engaged in compiling algorithms so that machines can learn themselves, that is, analyze data and draw their own conclusions based on this.
“It won’t be long before the uprising of the machines this way!” some will say. And they’ll be wrong. The fact is that so far, despite the rapid development of digital technologies, computers still operate with binary logic about the “yes-no” principle. But we, people, can also consider an infinite number of intermediate options (an illustration of this is the purely Russian turnover “yes, no, probably”). Of course, not a single, even the most complex and perfect machine is able to operate with such concepts today. In the meantime, it is impossible to talk about any free will in artificial intelligence.
However, machine learning experts are also working on this, and, perhaps, the day is not far off when we can talk heart to heart with a computer, and he, having listened to us, will show completely human emotions and give practical advice. Everything is in the hands of computer training specialists.
Benefits of being a machine learning specialist
It is difficult to overestimate and exaggerate the advantages of the work of a machine learning specialist.
Demand
Professionals of this profile are incredibly in demand all over the world, so there are no and will not be problems with finding a job.
High income
This job always pays well everywhere.
Creative component
Machine learning requires a creative approach from a person, that is, it is also a creative specialty.
Interesting tasks
There is no monotony in the work – every time you have to solve new interesting and sometimes non-trivial tasks. That is, every day is a new exercise for the intellect.
Disadvantages of Being a Machine Learning Specialist
Of course, it is difficult for a specialist whose life consists of a job he loves to imagine that there may be some disadvantages in it, but let’s look from the outside.
Strong tension
The job requires a lot of mental effort. At first, it is interesting and even great, then it can result in fatigue and even burnout.
Irregular schedule
Rarely do specialists of this profile have a normalized working day. As a rule, programmers sit on projects literally for days, which causes overwork.
Visual impairment
The work is exclusively sedentary and requires a lot of eye strain, which can lead to various diseases.
How to become a machine learning specialist?
To become a machine learning specialist, you first need to master the profession of a programmer to perfection. But if the knowledge of programming languages is enough to write programs, administer computer networks, then to work with artificial intelligence, you will have to master many more different sciences – from mathematical analysis to … biology and physics. Yes, yes, it is the principle of operation of the nervous system of living organisms that should form the basis for the creation of electronic consciousness. How a neuron perceives a stimulus, how it conducts a signal to the brain or spinal cord, what algorithms are involved in converting an ordinary electrical impulse into complex information – all this should be understood by a professional in the field of computer training.
In addition, it is necessary to have a store of knowledge in the field of human psychology, because the machine must give out reactions that will be understandable to a person and adequate to his perception of the world.
In a word, a machine learning specialist is a professional of the broadest profile, an erudite with multifaceted and deep knowledge in various fields of knowledge. That’s why this profession is considered a kind of elite among IT professionals.
Where to study as a machine learning specialist?
There are no self-taught people in machine learning, because this area requires systemic fundamental knowledge in various areas of science and technology. As a rule, certified programmers who graduated from one of the technical universities come to this specialty. Usually, just knowledge of languages and programming skills is not enough to work with artificial intelligence – you need to take specialized courses.
Demand for Machine Learning Specialists
Every day, artificial intelligence enters our lives more and more. We use apps on our phones, we talk to our own computers, we let the robot vacuum clean our house, the computer beats the best grand masters in the world at chess, and many Internet services curate content according to our tastes. It is difficult to imagine an area of life where digital technologies would not be involved. Of course, their development and improvement requires more and more qualified specialists capable of raising the level of artificial intelligence, bringing it closer to human thinking. Moreover, these should not be artisans who know programming languages and the necessary algorithms, but people with creative thinking who can find non-standard approaches to solving each problem. Therefore, of course, it is difficult to overestimate the demand for machine learning specialists around the world.
Prospects for the future
If technology continues to develop at the same pace as now, humanity will soon coexist with artificial intelligence. Robots that will take over most of the work – from hard work to the service sector, virtual assistants in all areas of life – all this will require more professionals who will not only be able to ensure the smooth operation of this complex technology, but will also improve artificial intelligence to one day come to the creation of a digital mind that will comprehend human non-binary logic. However, while this is only fiction, but who knows what awaits us in the future.
Machine learning specialist, or otherwise Data Scientist, ML (from Machine Learning) Engineer, AI (from Artificial Intelligence) Engineer, first of all, is a highly qualified specialist with knowledge in the fields of higher mathematics (for example, mathematical analysis, statistics , game theory and others), as well as knowledge in the field of mathematical modeling and big data algorithms. Secondly, a specialist must have programming skills and work in certain software environments, where the practice of using algorithms is being developed by the international community, which in turn speeds up problem solving. Such specialists come from higher educational institutions, which provide, first of all, a serious base of fundamental knowledge in the above areas. The specialist fills this mathematical foundation already in the process of self-education or in additional courses with knowledge in the field of practical machine learning, existing practices in the models and algorithms used on the market.
The need for computer training specialists is growing every day and is primarily due to the need for the IT and telecommunications market to know about the current position of the company. The amount of data that modern systems generate is too large, and processing it “manually”, using common tools (for example, spreadsheets), is difficult and has its limitations, including efficiency. The use of analytical algorithms, including machine learning algorithms, in the form of software, makes it much more efficient to track the existing parameters of both systems and company indicators. In turn, this gives the company an advantage in the speed of decision-making and the choice of the direction of further development. In addition, in machine learning algorithms, there is a class of algorithms that allow you to predict data for a certain time with high accuracy. These tools are universal and can be used both for analytics of the operation of technical systems and for business intelligence of a company.
Thus, with the digitalization of processes and their automation in companies, a need naturally arises for a specialist who knows how to work with data, who, based on a large amount of information, can identify the dependencies and the impact of certain processes and results on the company’s performance, who can form a predictive analysis of development.
What is the job of a machine learning specialist?
In general, all those who build information and analytical services are engaged in machine learning. This is a necessity.
At the first stage, a person teaches the machine to perform certain actions and draw certain conclusions. This learning occurs on the basis of the translation into the code of those actions and conclusions that the person himself performs. These are mostly simple steps. For example, you need to go to a certain resource and, if there is no information on it, draw a conclusion about the reliability of the legal entity. And so, for each causal chain transmitted to the machine, a person teaches it to think the way a specialist would think and do.
Then comes the second stage. Unlike a human, a machine is capable of aggregating and storing in memory a large amount of unstructured data that arises in the process of collecting information. The time has come to translate unstructured data into structured information, divide it into categories and create a new system of knowledge from these categories. Kind of like how search engines infer the well-being of city dwellers based on their mobile phone models. A person is no longer able to operate with such categories, because he cannot keep them in his head. Accordingly, the achievements of the machine seem to him a miracle, magic.
Then comes the third stage, when the machine is taught the principle of independent identification of patterns based on the same human logic from the second stage. As a result, the machine begins to learn itself within the limits in which it has mastered human logic. This is the beginning of artificial intelligence. Very conditional, but still the only one available for today’s development of computer technology.