Chapter 4: Classification in AI

Learning Objectives

Understand introduction to classification

Understand types of classification algorithms

Understand practical classification with machine learning

Introduction to Classification

Classification is a fundamental concept in AI where objects are categorized based on their characteristics. It's widely used in various applications:

  • Apples vs. Oranges: A classic example of binary classification
  • Cat vs. Dog: Another common binary classification task
  • Spam vs. Not Spam: Used in email filtering systems

Types of Classification Algorithms

There are several types of classification algorithms, each with its own approach:

  • Decision Trees: Uses a tree-like model of decisions
  • K-Nearest Neighbors: Classifies based on the closest training examples
  • Support Vector Machines: Finds the optimal hyperplane to separate classes
  • Artificial Neural Networks: Inspired by biological neural networks

Watch and Learn

Practical Classification with Machine Learning

To get started with practical classification tasks:

  1. Use Google Colab as an environment for training ML models
  2. Learn the basics of machine learning with Kaggle tutorials
  3. Try implementing a Cat vs. Dog classifier using Kaggle datasets
  4. Create a custom project following the provided walkthrough

Practice Exercise

Choose a dataset from Kaggle suitable for a classification task. Implement a simple classifier using the steps outlined in the custom project walkthrough. Compare the performance of at least two different classification algorithms on your chosen dataset.