Despite all the talk about intelligent machines and devices that are listening to our conversations, few people understand what machine learning really is and how natural language processing works. What does it mean to say that machines can be taught to do stuff? Can they learn to understand us and even anticipate our behavior?

Join us for a two-part webinar series with Silicon Valley industry veteran Shashi Sathyanarayana who will simplify these popular technologies and, without using complex math, inspire you to learn more. 

WHO IS THIS FOR?

These webinars are aimed at the beginner, the curious, and the engineer wanting to learn new technologies. No prior exposure to ML, NLP, or statistical pattern recognition is needed. You can choose to attend one or both webinars.

Day One: Yes, I Can Understand Machine Learning—Even the Math! 

In this 90-minute webinar, we’ll dive into the mystery of machine learning, the math behind it, and significant elements of the technology. We’ll show you how a machine can be taught and once you understand a simple example, everything falls into place. You suddenly begin to understand how machines can be trained to do complex tasks.

We'll look at what means to analyze data, and cover a host of topics such as linear classifiers and regression, clustering, Bayesian probability, and data mining. Plus, we’ll answer:

• What kind of machine learning skills you need to really add value to a company
• Where can you go to acquire the high-demand machine learning skills to increase productivity and competitiveness?
• Is Siri really listening?


Day Two: Can Machines Understand Language? 

In this introductory discussion about natural language processing, you’ll learn how seemingly mindless computer algorithms glean meaning and sentiment in written words and respond intelligently. You will see how NLP helps us compose more grammatically correct emails, helps advertisers insert more relevant (less annoying) ads into our feeds, and triggers our smartphones and smart homes to respond to spoken commands.

Simple examples will show you that all this (and more) is very much possible. More importantly, you will be convinced that you can work in, and contribute to, this exciting area.

This event is hosted by UCSC Silicon Valley Extension, which offers numerous courses in database and data analytics and artificial intelligence technologies.