CS349
Probabilistic Foundations of Machine Learning

In recent years, Artificial Intelligence has enabled applications that were previously not thought possible—from systems that propose novel drugs or generate new art/music, to systems that accurately and reliably predict outcomes of medical interventions in real-time. But what has enabled these developments? Probabilistic Machine Learning, a paradigm that casts recent advances in Machine Learning, like neural networks, into a statistical learning framework. In this course, we introduce the foundational concepts behind this paradigm—statistical model specification, and statistical learning and inference—focusing on connecting theory with real-world applications and hands-on practice. This course lays the foundation for advanced study and research in Machine Learning. Topics include: directed graphical models, deep Bayesian regression/classification, generative models (latent variable models) for clustering, dimensionality reduction, and time-series forecasting. Students will get hands-on experience building models for specific tasks ,most taken from healthcare contexts, using a probabilistic programming language based in Python.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 18

Prerequisites: (CS 230 or CS 230P or CS 230X) and MATH 225, and permission of the instructor.

Instructor: Yacoby

Distribution Requirements: MM - Mathematical Modeling and Problem Solving

Typical Periods Offered: Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall

Notes: