In 2012 Target's marketing team was able to find out that a teen was pregnant before her own father even knew.  Their marketing team developed a technique that allowed them to use their consumer's purchasing history to predict which one of their consumers were pregnant based strictly off of their purchasing patterns.  This technique has been extremely advantageous for Target, because they are able to get the attention of these consumers before their competitors can.  Some people think that this type of marketing is an invasion of privacy.  What do you think?

Here is a link to the full article about Target's marketing practice: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/#46a2fd6034c6

In my recent posts I have discussed types of technological breakthroughs that machine learning has taken a part in, but it is important to understand that machine learning can be used in any facet of life, including business marketing -- and in this post, that is exactly what I will be discussing.

Machine Learning helps marketers to compile large amounts of data, interpret the data, and turn the data into useful information that helps companies reach their target markets.  In an article on optimove.com the writers says, "Without machine learning, it is simply too difficult to compile and process the huge amounts of data coming from multiple sources required to predict what marketing offers and incentives will be most effective for each individual customer.  However, when all of this data is made available to computers programmed to perform data mining and machine learning, very accurate next best action predictions can be made" (Optimove).

Ever wondered how a Facebook advertisement knows exactly what you were shopping for 20 seconds after you've completed your late night shopping spree?  Well now you know the answer to that question, machine learning.

For a more in-depth look into how machine learning has changed the marketing world, take a look at http://www.optimove.com/learning-center/machine-learning

This week will be something to stimulate the brain in the form of scientific theory/conspiracy.  I know a lot of people have seen the movie Ex Machina, and that is what has sparked my thought process for this post.  

In 2015, Google announced the existence of RankBrain.  According to Google, RankBrain's existence is to aid the search engine in allowing humans to get from "Point A" to "Point B" when they Google something.  Lots of times when humans Google something, they don't use correct English and just type in exactly what comes to their mind.  RankBrain is in existence to decipher these incorrect English phrases to help users find their desired answers.

Now for the crazy scientific conspiracy thought, if Google has the power to derive slang into correct English, then will there one day be Google robots working in everyday stores? Making sandwiches, taking your boxes from you at a UPS store, directing you to a food item in a grocery store?  Just some food for thought.

In my third post I would like to write about the pure intelligence of computers created by Machine Learning.  A company has created a computer that has mastered all 49 of the Classic Atari Games to be even better than humans.  To give readers a perspective on how valuable this technology is: In 2014, the company that created this computer was bought by Google for around $600 million.

Here is the article I have gotten this information from: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-31623427

In my first post about machine learning, I simply wrote about what machine learning is.  This week I am writing about cool uses for machine learning.  In an Informationweek.com article, they list 11 different types of uses for machine learning.  I will list some of them here and discuss the more interesting ones:

• Stopping Malware
• Making Important Discoveries
• Has helped diabetic patients tremendously
• Understanding Legal Documents
• Lots of times legal documents are too complex for your average user.  With that being said, you can use a computer's brain to break down the legal language presented into "plain language".
• Prevent Money Laundering
• Improve CyberSecurity
• Self-Driving Cars
• All self-driving cars use machine learning to some extent

The article I have written about can be found here, http://www.informationweek.com/strategic-cio/executive-insights-and-innovation/11-cool-ways-to-use-machine-learning/d/d-id/1323375?image_number=10.

One of the most ground-breaking/intriguing things I have read about in the past few months is something called Machine Learning.  While this type of AI  (Artificial Intelligence) is completely unknown to the vast majority of the public, Machine Learning is being used in almost every form of business, and it will soon become a huge part of human's day-to-day lives.  Whatis.com describes Machine Learning as, "Machine Learning is a type of artificial intelligence  (AI) that provides computers with the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed.  Machine learning focuses on the development of computer programs that can teach themselves to grow and change when exposed to new data".  Simply put, Machine Learning is teaching a computer to have a brain of its own.  The possibilities of Machine Learning are limitless, and I urge everyone to take a look into what type of businesses that could be created through Machine Learning.

A good article to read about what Machine Learning is: http://www.sas.com/en_us/insights/analytics/machine-learning.html