Machine Learning: How Did We Get Here?

Tom speaks with Ross Quinlan, whose algorithms C4.5 and ID3 helped establish decision trees as one of the most popular approaches in machine learning, and who founded RuleQuest Research, which accelerated the commercial adoption of machine learning.

Ross (published as "JR Quinlan") describes a sabbatical visit to Stanford University where he took a course that drove him to invent the first successful learning algorithm for decision trees, follow-on research that led to decision trees becoming one of the most popular machine learning algorithms, and his experience moving from academia into the commercial world.

Creators and Guests

Host
Tom Mitchell
Tom Mitchell is the University Founders Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, and the author of Machine Learning, a foundational textbook on the subject.
Producer
Matty Smith
Writer/director/editor from Los Angeles, with experience writing and directing scripted television and national commercials. Mixed media producer with hands-on experience in all areas of production.
RQ
Guest
Ross Quinlan
Founder, RuleQuest Research

What is Machine Learning: How Did We Get Here??

Tom Mitchell literally wrote the book on machine learning. In this series of candid conversations with his fellow pioneers, Tom traces the history of the field through the people who built it. Behind the tech are stories of passion, curiosity, and humanity.

Tom Mitchell is the University Founders Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, and the author of Machine Learning, a foundational textbook on the subject. This podcast is produced by the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.