3.2 Data, Algorithms, and Models
Data is the ingredients, the algorithm is the recipe, and the model is the finished dish.
Chapter 3: Fundamentals of AI
These three words get thrown around constantly, so let's lock them in with a cooking analogy.
Data is your ingredients - photos, text, numbers, clicks. Algorithm is the recipe - the step-by-step method for learning from that data. Model is the dish that comes out - the trained thing you actually use.
Same recipe with different ingredients = different dish. That's why two AI systems using the same algorithm can behave totally differently: they were trained on different data. Garbage ingredients in, garbage dish out.
Remember
"Garbage in, garbage out" is the oldest rule in computing - and it hits AI hardest.
Key takeaways
Data = ingredients (examples)
Algorithm = recipe (learning method)
Model = dish (the trained result you use)