Machine learning

Predicting change in the Alzheimer’s brain

Combining MRI and other data helps machine-learning systems predict effects of neurodegenerative disease.

October 6, 2015

Flickr users tagged a photograph similar to this one
“architecture," “tourism," and "travel.” A machine-learning system that
used a novel training strategy developed at MIT proposed “sky," “roof,”
and “building”; when it used a conventional training strategy, it came up
with “art," “sky,” and "beach.”

More-flexible machine learning

Giving machine-learning systems “partial credit” during training improves image classification.

October 1, 2015

Learning language by playing games

System learns to play text-based computer game using only linguistic information.

September 23, 2015

Illustration of hands on a computer screen

More personalized online shopping

Startup’s platform analyzes data from multiple sources to better predict buying preferences.

September 15, 2015

The first layers (1 and 2) of a neural network trained to classify scenes seem to be tuned to geometric patterns of increasing complexity, but the higher layers (3 and 4) appear to be picking out particular classes of objects.

Object recognition for free

System designed to label visual scenes according to type turns out to detect particular objects, too.

May 8, 2015

Two-dimensional images of human faces (top row) and front views of three-dimensional models of the same faces, produced by both a new MIT system (middle row) and one of its predecessors (bottom row).

Graphics in reverse

Probabilistic programming does in 50 lines of code what used to take thousands.

April 13, 2015

Better machine learning

Kalyan Veeramachaneni tackles some of the biggest bottlenecks holding back the data science industry.

February 24, 2015

Vision system for household robots

New algorithm could enable household robots to better identify objects in cluttered environments.

January 12, 2015

Computers that teach by example

New system enables pattern-recognition systems to convey what they learn to humans.

December 5, 2014

MIT computer scientists can predict the price of Bitcoin

CSAIL/LIDS team's algorithm doubles initial investment in under two months.

October 21, 2014

Can you out-race a computer?

Deep-learning algorithm can weigh up a neighborhood better than humans.

September 24, 2014

Calculating the mutual information between two nodes in a graph is like injecting blue dye into one of them and measuring the concentration of blue at the other. Crucial to the new algorithm are the elimination of loops in the graph (orange) and a technique that prevents intermediary nodes (black) from distorting the long-range calculation of mutual information (blue).

Collecting just the right data

When you can’t collect all the data you need, a new algorithm tells you which to target.

July 25, 2014

Four puzzle pieces in the center of the image are each being grabbed by a robotic hand reaching in from each corner of the image

Collaborative learning — for robots

Algorithm lets independent agents collectively produce a machine-learning model without aggregating data.

June 25, 2014

This image shows a word problem provided by the researchers. The answer appears in the second image.

Computer system automatically solves word problems

Applications could include educational tools, systems to solve practical geometry or physics problems.

May 2, 2014