Foreword

Whether it is called statistics, data science, machine learning, or artificial intelligence, learning patterns from data is transforming the world. Nearly every industry imaginable has been touched (or soon will be) by machine learning. The combined progress of both hardware and software improvements are driving rapid advancements in the field, though it is upon software that most people focus their attention.

While many languages are used for machine learning, including R, C/C++, Fortran, and Go, Python has proven remarkably popular. This is in large part thanks to scikit-learn, which makes it easy to not only train a host of different models but to also engineer features, evaluate the model quality, and score new data. The scikit-learn project has quickly become one of Python’s most important and powerful software libraries.

While advanced mathematical concepts underpin machine learning, it is entirely possible to train complex models without a thorough background in calculus and matrix algebra. For many people, getting into machine learning through programming, rather than math, is a more attainable goal. That is precisely the goal of this book: to use Python as a hook into machine learning and then add in some math as needed. Following in the footsteps of R for Everyone and Pandas for Everyone, Machine Learning with Python for Everyone strives to be open and accessible to anyone looking to learn about this exciting area of math and computation.

Mark Fenner has spent years practicing the communication of science and machine learning concepts to people of varying backgrounds, honing his ability to break down complex ideas into simple components. That experience results in a form of storytelling that explains concepts while minimizing jargon and providing concrete examples. The book is easy to read, with many code samples so the reader can follow along on their computer.

With more people than ever eager to understand and implement machine learning, it is essential to have practical resources to guide them, both quickly and thoughtfully. Mark fills that need with this insightful and engaging text. Machine Learning with Python for Everyone lives up to its name, allowing people with all manner of previous training to quickly improve their machine learning knowledge and skills, greatly increasing access to this important field.

Jared Lander,
Series Editor