AI Basics · Plain English
Machine Learning
Software that learns patterns from historical data instead of following hand-written rules — the foundation under modern AI.
Machine learning is the broad technique underneath modern AI: instead of a programmer writing rules by hand, the software learns patterns from historical examples. Show it thousands of labeled photos of good and defective parts and it learns to spot defects; show it years of sensor data and failure records and it learns what failure looks like coming.
The catch is in those sentences: machine learning is only as good as the historical data behind it. No labeled defect photos means no vision inspection; patchy sensor history means no failure prediction. That is why the data-hungry applications sit deliberately late in this roadmap, behind a data-readiness check.
Where it shows up in this proposal: Phases 4 and 5 of the Roadmap — computer vision and predictive maintenance — are machine-learning projects gated on data readiness.