Have you ever played chess or checkers against a computer? If you have, news flash – you’ve watched artificial intelligence at work. But what if the computer could get better at the game on its own just by playing more and analyzing its mistakes? That’s the power of machine learning, a type of AI that lets computers learn and improve from experience.
In fact, machine learning is becoming increasingly important in our daily lives. According to a report by Statista, revenues from the global market for AI software are expected to reach 126 billion by 2025, up from just 10.1 billion in 2018. From personalized recommendations on Netflix to self-driving cars, machine learning is powering some of the most innovative and exciting technologies of our time.
But how does it all work? In this article, we’ll dive into the concepts of machine learning and explore how it’s changing the way we interact with technology.
What is Machine Learning?
Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that focuses on building algorithms that can learn from data and then make predictions or decisions and recognize patterns. Essentially, it’s all about creating computer programs that can adapt and improve on their own without being explicitly programmed for every possible scenario.
It’s like teaching a computer to see the world through a different lens. From the data, the machine identifies patterns and relationships within it. Based on these patterns, the algorithm can make predictions or decisions about new data it hasn’t seen before.
Because of these qualities, machine learning has plenty of practical applications. We can train computers to make decisions, recognize speech, and even generate art. We can use it in fraud detection in financial transactions or to improve healthcare outcomes through personalized medicine.
Machine learning also plays a large role in fields like computer vision, natural language processing, and robotics, as they require the ability to recognize patterns and make predictions to complete various tasks.
Concepts of Machine Learning
Machine learning might seem magical, but the concepts of machine learning are complex, with many layers of algorithms and techniques working together to get to an end goal.
From supervised and unsupervised learning to deep neural networks and reinforcement learning, there are many base concepts to understand before diving into the world of machine learning. Get ready to explore some machine learning basics!
Supervised Learning
Supervised learning involves training the algorithm to recognize patterns or make predictions using labeled data.
- Classification: Classification is quite straightforward, evident by its name. Its goal is to predict which category or class new data belongs to based on existing data.
- Logistic Regression: Logistic regression aims to predict a binary outcome (i.e., yes or no) based on one or more input variables.
- Support Vector Machines: Support Vector Machines (SVMs) find the best way to separate data points into different categories or classes based on their features or attributes.
- Decision Trees: Decision trees make decisions by dividing data into smaller and smaller subsets from a number of binary decisions. You can think of it like a game of 20 questions where you’re narrowing things down.
- Naive Bayes: Naive Bayes uses Bayes’ theorem to predict how likely it is to end up with a certain result when different input variables are present or absent.
Regression
Regression is a type of machine learning that helps us predict numerical values, like prices or temperatures, based on other data that we have. It looks for patterns in the data to create a mathematical model that can estimate the value we are looking for.
- Linear Regression: Linear regression helps us predict numerical values by fitting a straight line to the data.
- Polynomial Regression: Polynomial regression is similar to linear regression, but instead of fitting a straight line to the data, it fits a curved line (a polynomial) to capture more complex relationships between the variables. Linear regression might be used to predict someone’s salary based on their years of experience, while polynomial regression could be used to predict how fast a car will go based on its engine size.
- Support Vector Regression: Support vector regression finds the best fitting line to the data while minimizing errors and avoiding overfitting (becoming too attuned to the existing data).
- Decision Tree Regression: Decision tree regression uses a tree-like template to make predictions out of a series of decision rules, where each branch represents a decision, and each leaf node represents a prediction.
Unsupervised Learning
Unsupervised learning is where the computer algorithm is given a bunch of data with no labels and has to find patterns or groupings on its own, allowing for discovering hidden insights and relationships.
- Clustering: Clustering groups similar data points together based on their features.
- K-Means: K-Means is a popular clustering algorithm that separates the data into a predetermined number of clusters by finding the average of each group.
- Hierarchical Clustering: Hierarchical clustering is another way of grouping that creates a hierarchy of clusters by either merging smaller clusters into larger ones (agglomerative) or dividing larger clusters into smaller ones (divisive).
- Expectation Maximization: Expectation maximization is quite self-explanatory. It’s a way to find patterns in data that aren’t clearly grouped together by guessing what might be there and refining the guesses over time.
- Association Rule Learning: Association Rule Learning looks to find interesting connections between things in large sets of data, like discovering that people who buy plant pots often also buy juice.
- Apriori: Apriori is an algorithm for association rule learning that finds frequent itemsets (groups of items that appear together often) and makes rules that describe the relationships between them.
- Eclat: Eclat is similar to apriori, but it works by first finding which things appear together most often and then finding frequent itemsets out of those. It’s a method that works better for larger datasets.
Reinforcement Learning
Reinforcement learning is like teaching a computer to play a game by letting it try different actions and rewarding it when it does something good so it learns how to maximize its score over time.
- Q-Learning: Q-Learning helps computers learn how to take actions in an environment by assigning values to each possible action and using those values to make decisions.
- SARSA: SARSA is similar to Q-Learning but takes into account the current state of the environment, making it more useful in situations where actions have immediate consequences.
- DDPG (Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient): DDPG is a more advanced type of reinforcement learning that uses neural networks to learn policies for continuous control tasks, like robotic movement, by mapping what it sees to its next action.
Deep Learning Algorithms
Deep Learning is a powerful type of machine learning that’s inspired by how the human brain works, using artificial neural networks to learn and make decisions from vast amounts of data.
It’s more complex than other types of machine learning because it involves many layers of connections that can learn to recognize complex patterns and relationships in data.
- Neural Networks: Neural networks mimic the structure and function of the human brain, allowing them to learn from and make predictions about complex data.
- Convolutional Neural Networks: Convolutional neural networks are particularly good at image recognition, using specialized layers to detect features like edges, textures, and shapes.
- Recurrent Neural Networks: Recurrent neural networks are known to be good at processing sequential data, like language or music, by keeping track of previous inputs and using that information to make better predictions.
- Generative Adversarial Networks: Generative adversarial networks can generate new, original data by pitting two networks against each other. One tries to create fake data, and the other tries to spot the fakes until the generator network gets really good at making convincing fakes.
Conclusion
As we’ve learned, machine learning is a powerful tool that can help computers learn from data and make predictions, recognize patterns, and even create new things.
With basic concepts like supervised and unsupervised learning, regression and clustering, and advanced techniques like deep learning and neural networks, the possibilities for what we can achieve with machine learning are endless.
So whether you’re new to the subject or deeper down the iceberg, there’s always something new to learn in the exciting field of machine learning!
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From the same author
Read the articleHave you ever played chess or checkers against a computer? If you have, news flash – you’ve watched artificial intelligence at work. But what if the computer could get better at the game on its own just by playing more and analyzing its mistakes? That’s the power of machine learning, a type of AI that lets computers learn and improve from experience.
In fact, machine learning is becoming increasingly important in our daily lives. According to a report by Statista, revenues from the global market for AI software are expected to reach 126 billion by 2025, up from just 10.1 billion in 2018. From personalized recommendations on Netflix to self-driving cars, machine learning is powering some of the most innovative and exciting technologies of our time.
But how does it all work? In this article, we’ll dive into the concepts of machine learning and explore how it’s changing the way we interact with technology.
What is Machine Learning?
Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that focuses on building algorithms that can learn from data and then make predictions or decisions and recognize patterns. Essentially, it’s all about creating computer programs that can adapt and improve on their own without being explicitly programmed for every possible scenario.
It’s like teaching a computer to see the world through a different lens. From the data, the machine identifies patterns and relationships within it. Based on these patterns, the algorithm can make predictions or decisions about new data it hasn’t seen before.
Because of these qualities, machine learning has plenty of practical applications. We can train computers to make decisions, recognize speech, and even generate art. We can use it in fraud detection in financial transactions or to improve healthcare outcomes through personalized medicine.
Machine learning also plays a large role in fields like computer vision, natural language processing, and robotics, as they require the ability to recognize patterns and make predictions to complete various tasks.
Concepts of Machine Learning
Machine learning might seem magical, but the concepts of machine learning are complex, with many layers of algorithms and techniques working together to get to an end goal.
From supervised and unsupervised learning to deep neural networks and reinforcement learning, there are many base concepts to understand before diving into the world of machine learning. Get ready to explore some machine learning basics!
Supervised Learning
Supervised learning involves training the algorithm to recognize patterns or make predictions using labeled data.
- Classification: Classification is quite straightforward, evident by its name. Its goal is to predict which category or class new data belongs to based on existing data.
- Logistic Regression: Logistic regression aims to predict a binary outcome (i.e., yes or no) based on one or more input variables.
- Support Vector Machines: Support Vector Machines (SVMs) find the best way to separate data points into different categories or classes based on their features or attributes.
- Decision Trees: Decision trees make decisions by dividing data into smaller and smaller subsets from a number of binary decisions. You can think of it like a game of 20 questions where you’re narrowing things down.
- Naive Bayes: Naive Bayes uses Bayes’ theorem to predict how likely it is to end up with a certain result when different input variables are present or absent.
Regression
Regression is a type of machine learning that helps us predict numerical values, like prices or temperatures, based on other data that we have. It looks for patterns in the data to create a mathematical model that can estimate the value we are looking for.
- Linear Regression: Linear regression helps us predict numerical values by fitting a straight line to the data.
- Polynomial Regression: Polynomial regression is similar to linear regression, but instead of fitting a straight line to the data, it fits a curved line (a polynomial) to capture more complex relationships between the variables. Linear regression might be used to predict someone’s salary based on their years of experience, while polynomial regression could be used to predict how fast a car will go based on its engine size.
- Support Vector Regression: Support vector regression finds the best fitting line to the data while minimizing errors and avoiding overfitting (becoming too attuned to the existing data).
- Decision Tree Regression: Decision tree regression uses a tree-like template to make predictions out of a series of decision rules, where each branch represents a decision, and each leaf node represents a prediction.
Unsupervised Learning
Unsupervised learning is where the computer algorithm is given a bunch of data with no labels and has to find patterns or groupings on its own, allowing for discovering hidden insights and relationships.
- Clustering: Clustering groups similar data points together based on their features.
- K-Means: K-Means is a popular clustering algorithm that separates the data into a predetermined number of clusters by finding the average of each group.
- Hierarchical Clustering: Hierarchical clustering is another way of grouping that creates a hierarchy of clusters by either merging smaller clusters into larger ones (agglomerative) or dividing larger clusters into smaller ones (divisive).
- Expectation Maximization: Expectation maximization is quite self-explanatory. It’s a way to find patterns in data that aren’t clearly grouped together by guessing what might be there and refining the guesses over time.
- Association Rule Learning: Association Rule Learning looks to find interesting connections between things in large sets of data, like discovering that people who buy plant pots often also buy juice.
- Apriori: Apriori is an algorithm for association rule learning that finds frequent itemsets (groups of items that appear together often) and makes rules that describe the relationships between them.
- Eclat: Eclat is similar to apriori, but it works by first finding which things appear together most often and then finding frequent itemsets out of those. It’s a method that works better for larger datasets.
Reinforcement Learning
Reinforcement learning is like teaching a computer to play a game by letting it try different actions and rewarding it when it does something good so it learns how to maximize its score over time.
- Q-Learning: Q-Learning helps computers learn how to take actions in an environment by assigning values to each possible action and using those values to make decisions.
- SARSA: SARSA is similar to Q-Learning but takes into account the current state of the environment, making it more useful in situations where actions have immediate consequences.
- DDPG (Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient): DDPG is a more advanced type of reinforcement learning that uses neural networks to learn policies for continuous control tasks, like robotic movement, by mapping what it sees to its next action.
Deep Learning Algorithms
Deep Learning is a powerful type of machine learning that’s inspired by how the human brain works, using artificial neural networks to learn and make decisions from vast amounts of data.
It’s more complex than other types of machine learning because it involves many layers of connections that can learn to recognize complex patterns and relationships in data.
- Neural Networks: Neural networks mimic the structure and function of the human brain, allowing them to learn from and make predictions about complex data.
- Convolutional Neural Networks: Convolutional neural networks are particularly good at image recognition, using specialized layers to detect features like edges, textures, and shapes.
- Recurrent Neural Networks: Recurrent neural networks are known to be good at processing sequential data, like language or music, by keeping track of previous inputs and using that information to make better predictions.
- Generative Adversarial Networks: Generative adversarial networks can generate new, original data by pitting two networks against each other. One tries to create fake data, and the other tries to spot the fakes until the generator network gets really good at making convincing fakes.
Conclusion
As we’ve learned, machine learning is a powerful tool that can help computers learn from data and make predictions, recognize patterns, and even create new things.
With basic concepts like supervised and unsupervised learning, regression and clustering, and advanced techniques like deep learning and neural networks, the possibilities for what we can achieve with machine learning are endless.
So whether you’re new to the subject or deeper down the iceberg, there’s always something new to learn in the exciting field of machine learning!
Read the articleAs artificial intelligence and machine learning are becoming present in almost every aspect of life, it’s essential to understand how they work and their common applications. Although machine learning has been around for a while, many still portray it as an enemy. Machine learning can be your friend, but only if you learn to “tame” it.
Regression stands out as one of the most popular machine-learning techniques. It serves as a bridge that connects the past to the present and future. It does so by picking up on different “events” from the past and breaking them apart to analyze them. Based on this analysis, regression can make conclusions about the future and help many plan the next move.
The weather forecast is a basic example. With the regression technique, it’s possible to travel back in time to view average temperatures, humidity, and other variables relevant to the results. Then, you “return” to present and tailor predictions about the weather in the future.
There are different types of regression, and each has unique applications, advantages, and drawbacks. This article will analyze these types.
Linear Regression
Linear regression in machine learning is one of the most common techniques. This simple algorithm got its name because of what it does. It digs deep into the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Based on the findings, linear regression makes predictions about the future.
There are two distinguishable types of linear regression:
- Simple linear regression – There’s only one input variable.
- Multiple linear regression – There are several input variables.
Linear regression has proven useful in various spheres. Its most popular applications are:
- Predicting salaries
- Analyzing trends
- Forecasting traffic ETAs
- Predicting real estate prices
Polynomial Regression
At its core, polynomial regression functions just like linear regression, with one crucial difference – the former works with non-linear datasets.
When there’s a non-linear relationship between variables, you can’t do much with linear regression. In such cases, you send polynomial regression to the rescue. You do this by adding polynomial features to linear regression. Then, you analyze these features using a linear model to get relevant results.
Here’s a real-life example in action. Polynomial regression can analyze the spread rate of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
Ridge Regression
Ridge regression is a type of linear regression. What’s the difference between the two? You use ridge regression when there’s high colinearity between independent variables. In such cases, you have to add bias to ensure precise long-term results.
This type of regression is also called L2 regularization because it makes the model less complex. As such, ridge regression is suitable for solving problems with more parameters than samples. Due to its characteristics, this regression has an honorary spot in medicine. It’s used to analyze patients’ clinical measures and the presence of specific antigens. Based on the results, the regression establishes trends.
LASSO Regression
No, LASSO regression doesn’t have anything to do with cowboys and catching cattle (although that would be interesting). LASSO is actually an acronym for Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator.
Like ridge regression, this one also belongs to regularization techniques. What does it regulate? It reduces a model’s complexity by eliminating parameters that aren’t relevant, thus concentrating the selection and guaranteeing better results.
Many choose ridge regression when analyzing a model with numerous true coefficients. When there are only a few of them, use LASSO. Therefore, their applications are similar; the real difference lies in the number of available coefficients.
Elastic Net Regression
Ridge regression is good for analyzing problems involving more parameters than samples. However, it’s not perfect; this regression type doesn’t promise to eliminate irrelevant coefficients from the equation, thus affecting the results’ reliability.
On the other hand, LASSO regression eliminates irrelevant parameters, but it sometimes focuses on far too few samples for high-dimensional data.
As you can see, both regressions are flawed in a way. Elastic net regression is the combination of the best characteristics of these regression techniques. The first phase is finding ridge coefficients, while the second phase involves a LASSO-like shrinkage of these coefficients to get the best results.
Support Vector Regression
Support vector machine (SVM) belongs to supervised learning algorithms and has two important uses:
- Regression
- Classification problems
Let’s try to draw a mental picture of how SVM works. Suppose you have two classes of items (let’s call them red circles and green triangles). Red circles are on the left, while green triangles are on the right. You can separate these two classes by drawing a line between them.
Things get a bit more complicated if you have red circles in the middle and green triangles wrapped around them. In that case, you can’t draw a line to separate the classes. But you can add new dimensions to the mix and create a circle (rectangle, square, or a different shape encompassing just the red circles).
This is what SVM does. It creates a hyperplane and analyzes classes depending on where they belong.
There are a few parameters you need to understand to grasp the reach of SVM fully:
- Kernel – When you can’t find a hyperplane in a dimension, you move to a higher dimension, which is often challenging to navigate. A kernel is like a navigator that helps you find the hyperplane without plummeting computational costs.
- Hyperplane – This is what separates two classes in SVM.
- Decision boundary – Think of this as a line that helps you “decide” the placement of positive and negative examples.
Support vector regression takes a similar approach. It also creates a hyperplane to analyze classes but doesn’t classify them depending on where they belong. Instead, it tries to find a hyperplane that contains a maximum number of data points. At the same time, support vector regression tries to lower the risk of prediction errors.
SVM has various applications. It can be used in finance, bioinformatics, engineering, HR, healthcare, image processing, and other branches.
Decision Tree Regression
This type of supervised learning algorithm can solve both regression and classification issues and work with categorical and numerical datasets.
As its name indicates, decision tree regression deconstructs problems by creating a tree-like structure. In this tree, every node is a test for an attribute, every branch is the result of a test, and every leaf is the final result (decision).
The starting point of (the root) of every tree regression is the parent node. This node splits into two child nodes (data subsets), which are then further divided, thus becoming “parents” to their “children,” and so on.
You can compare a decision tree to a regular tree. If you take care of it and prune the unnecessary branches (those with irrelevant features), you’ll grow a healthy tree (a tree with concise and relevant results).
Due to its versatility and digestibility, decision tree regression can be used in various fields, from finance and healthcare to marketing and education. It offers a unique approach to decision-making by breaking down complex datasets into easy-to-grasp categories.
Random Forest Regression
Random forest regression is essentially decision tree regression but on a much bigger scale. In this case, you have multiple decision trees, each predicting a certain output. Random forest regression analyzes the outputs of every decision tree to come up with the final result.
Keep in mind that the decision trees used in random forest regression are completely independent; there’s no interaction between them until their outputs are analyzed.
Random forest regression is an ensemble learning technique, meaning it combines the results (predictions) of several machine learning algorithms to create one final prediction.
Like decision tree regression, this one can be used in numerous industries.
The Importance of Regression in Machine Learning Is Immeasurable
Regression in machine learning is like a high-tech detective. It travels back in time, identifies valuable clues, and analyzes them thoroughly. Then, it uses the results to predict outcomes with high accuracy and precision. As such, regression found its way to all niches.
You can use it in sales to analyze the customers’ behavior and anticipate their future interests. You can also apply it in finance, whether to discover trends in prices or analyze the stock market. Regression is also used in education, the tech industry, weather forecasting, and many other spheres.
Every regression technique can be valuable, but only if you know how to use it to your advantage. Think of your scenario (variables you want to analyze) and find the best actor (regression technique) who can breathe new life into it.
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Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) masterclasses bring students face-to-face with real-world business challenges. In OPIT’s July masterclass, OPIT Professor Francesco Derchi and Ph.D. candidate Robert Mario de Stefano explained the principles of regenerative businesses and how regeneration goes hand in hand with growth.
Regenerative Business Models
Professor Derchi began by explaining what exactly is meant by regenerative business models, clearly differentiating them from sustainable or circular models.
Many companies pursue sustainable business models in which they offset their negative impact by investing elsewhere. For example, businesses that are big carbon consumers will support nature regeneration projects. Circular business models are similar but are more focused on their own product chain, aiming to minimize waste by keeping products in use as long as possible through recycling. Both models essentially aim to have a “net-zero” negative impact on the environment.
Regenerative models are different because they actively aim to have a “net-positive” impact on the environment, not just offsetting their own use but actively regenerating the planet.
Massive Transformative Purpose
While regenerative business models are often associated with philanthropic endeavors, Professor Derchi explained that they do not have to be, and that investment in regeneration can be a driver of growth.
He discussed the importance of corporate purpose in the modern business space. Having a strong and clearly stated corporate purpose is considered essential to drive business decision-making, encourage employee buy-in, and promote customer loyalty.
But today, simple corporate missions, such as “make good shoes,” don’t go far enough. People are looking for a Massive Transformational Purpose (MTP) that can take the business to the next level.
Take, for example, Ben & Jerry’s. The business’s initial corporate purpose may have been to make great ice cream and serve it up in a way that people will enjoy. But the business really began to grow when they embraced an MTP. As they announced in their mission statement, “We believe that ice cream can change the world.” Their business activities also have the aim of advancing human rights and dignity, supporting social and economic justice, and protecting and restoring the Earth’s natural systems. While these aims are philanthropic, they have also helped the business grow.
RePlanet
Professor Derchi next talked about RePlanet, a business he recently worked to develop their MTP. Founded in 2015, RePlanet designs and implements customized renewable energy solutions for businesses and projects. The company already operates in the renewable energy field and ranked as the 21st fastest-growing business in Italy in 2023. So while they were already enjoying great success, Derchi worked with them to see if actively embracing a regenerative business model could unlock additional growth.
Working together, RePlanet moved towards an MTP of building a greener future based on today’s choices, ensuring a cleaner world for generations. Meeting this goal started with the energy products that RePlanet sells, such as energy systems that recover heat from dairy farms. But as the business’s MTP, it goes beyond that. RePlanet doesn’t just engage suppliers; it chooses partners that share its specific values. It also influences the projects they choose to work on – they prioritize high-impact social projects, such as recently installing photovoltaic energy systems at a local hospital in Nigeria – and how RePlanet treats its talent, acknowledging that people are the true energy of the company.
Regenerative Business Strategies
Based on work with RePlanet and other businesses, Derchi has identified six archetypal regenerative business strategies for businesses that want to have both a regenerative impact and drive growth:
- Regenerative Leadership – Laying the foundation for regeneration in a broader sense throughout the company
- Nature Regeneration – Strategies to improve the health of the natural world
- Social Regeneration – Regenerating human ecosystems through things such as fair-trade practices
- Responsible Sourcing – Empowering and strengthening suppliers and their communities
- Health & Well-being – Creating products and services that have a positive effect on customers
- Employee Focus – Improve work conditions, lives, and well-being of employees.
Case Studies
Building on the concept of regenerative business models, Roberto Mario de Stefano shared other case studies of businesses that are having a positive impact and enjoying growth thanks to regenerative business models and strategies.
Biorfarm
Biorfarm is a digital platform that supports small-scale agriculture by creating a direct link between small farmers and consumers. Cutting out the middleman in modern supply chains means that farmers earn about 50% more for their produce. They set consumers up as “digital farmers” who actively support and learn about farming activities to promote more conscious food consumption.
Their vision is to create a food economy in which those who produce food and those who consume it are connected. This moves consumers from passive cash cows for large corporations that prioritize profits over the well-being of farmers to actively supporting natural production and a more sustainable system.
Rifo Lab
Rifo Lab is a circular clothing brand with the vision of addressing the problem of overproduction in the clothing industry. Established in Prato, Italy, a traditional textile-producing area, the company produces clothes made from textile waste and biodegradable materials. There are no physical stores, and all orders must be placed online; everything is made to order, reducing excess production.
With an eye on social regeneration, all production takes place within 30 kilometers of their offices, allowing the business to support ethical and local production. They also work with companies that actively integrate migrants into the local community, sharing their local artisan crafts with future generations.
Ogyre
Ogyre is a digital platform that allows you to pay fishermen to fish for waste. When fishermen are out conducting their livelihood, they also collect a significant amount of waste from the ocean, especially plastic waste. Ogyre arranges for fishermen to get paid for collecting that waste, which in turn supports the local fishing communities, and then transforms the waste collected into new sustainable products.
Moving Towards a Regenerative Future
The masterclass concluded with a Q&A session, where it explained that working in regenerative businesses requires the same skills as any other business. But it also requires you to embrace a mindset where value comes from giving and that growth is about working together for a better future, and not just competition.
Riccardo Ocleppo’s vision for the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) started when he realized that his own university-level training had not properly prepared him for the modern workplace. Technological innovation is moving quickly and changing the nature of work, while university curricula evolve slowly, in part due to systems in place designed to preserve the quality of courses.
Ocleppo was determined to create a higher learning institution that filled the gap between the two realities – delivering high-quality education while preparing professionals to work in dynamic environments that keep pace with technology. Thus, OPIT opened enrolments in 2023 with a curriculum that created a unique bridge between the present and the future.
This is the story of one student, Ania Jaca, whose time at OPIT gave her the skills to connect her knowledge of product design to full system deployment.
Meet Ania
Ania is an example of an active professional who was able to identify what was missing in her own skills that would be needed if she wanted to advance her career in the direction she desired.
Ania is a highly skilled professional who was working on product and industrial design at Deloitte. She has an MA in product design, speaks five languages, studied in China, and is an avid boxer. She had the intelligence and the temperament to succeed in her career, but felt that she lacked the skills to advance and move from determining how products look to how systems really work, scale, and evolve.
Ania taught herself skills such as Python, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud infrastructure, but soon realized that she needed a more structured education to go deeper. Thus, the search for her next steps began, and her introduction to OPIT.
OPIT appealed to Ania because it offered a fully EU-accredited MSc that she could pursue at her own pace, thanks to remote delivery and flexible hours. But more than that, it filled exactly the knowledge gap she was looking to build upon, teaching her technical foundations, but always with a focus on applications in the real world. Part of the appeal was the faculty, which includes professionals who are leaders in their field and who deal with current professional challenges on a daily basis, which they can bring into the classroom.
Ania enrolled in OPIT’s MSc in Applied Data Science & AI.
MSc in Applied Data Science and AI
This is OPIT’s first master’s program, which also launched in 2023, and is now one of four on offer. The course is designed for graduates like Ania who want a career at the intersection of management and technology. It is attractive to professionals who are already working in this area but lack the technical training to step into certain roles. OPIT requires no computer science prerequisites, so it accepted Ania with her MA in product design.
It is an intensive program that starts with foundational application courses in business, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and problem-solving. The program then moves towards applying data science and AI methodologies and tools to real-life business problems.
The course combines theoretical study with a capstone project that lets students apply what they learn in the real world, either at their existing company or through internship programs. Many of the projects developed by students go on to become fundamental to the businesses they work with.
Ania’s Path Forward
Ania is working on her capstone project with Neperia Group, an Italian-based IT systems development company that works mostly with financial, insurance, and industrial companies. They specialize in developing analysis tools for existing software to enhance insight, streamline management, minimize the impact of corrective and evolutionary interventions, and boost performance.
Ania is specifically working on tools for assessing vulnerabilities in codebases as an advanced cybersecurity tool.
Ania credits her studies at OPIT for helping her build solid foundations in data science, machine learning, and cloud workflows, giving her a thorough understanding of digital products from end to end. She feels this has prepared her for roles at the intersection between infrastructure, security, and deployment, which is exactly where she wants to be. OPIT is excited to see where Ania’s career takes her in the coming years.
Preparing for the Future of Work
Overall, studying at OPIT has helped Ania and others like her prepare for the future of work. According to the Visual Capitalist, the fastest-growing jobs between 2025 and 2030 will be in big data (up by 110%), Fintech engineers (up by 95%), AI and machine learning specialists (up by 85%), software application developers (up by 60%), and security management specialists (up by 55%).
However, while these industries are growing, entry-level opportunities are declining in areas such as software development and IT. This is because AI now performs many of the tasks associated with those roles. Instead, companies are looking for experienced professionals to take on roles that involve more strategic oversight and innovative problem-solving. But how do recent graduates leapfrog past experienced professionals when there is a lack of entry-level positions to make the transition?
This is another challenge that OPIT addresses in its course design. Students don’t just learn the theory, OPIT actively encourages them to focus on applications, allowing them to build experience while studying. The capstone project consolidates this, enabling students to demonstrate to future employers their expertise at deploying technology to solve problems.
OPIT also has a dynamic Career Services department that specifically works with students to prepare them for the types of roles they want. This focus on not only learning but building a career is one of the elements that makes OPIT stand out in preparing graduates for the workplace.
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