Machine Learning: Theory and Algorithms (MALTA), 2021-2022
The course introduces the mathematical foundations of machine learning.
Its first goal is to formalize the main questions behind machine learning: What is learning? How can a machine learn? Is learning always possible? How do we quantify the resources needed to learn?
To this purpose, the course presents the probably-approximately correct (PAC) learning paradigm.
Its second goal is to present several key machine learning algorithms and show how they follow from general machine learning principles.
The course has a theoretical focus, and the student is assumed to be comfortable with basic notions of probability, linear algebra, analysis, and algorithms.
Shai Shalev-Shwartz and Shai Ben-David, Understanding Machine Learning: From Theory to Algorithms, available here.
There are also video lessons from Shai Ben-David, and lecture notes from Shai Shalev-Shwartz (together with videos in Hebrew if you prefer it to English).
Evaluation
30% classwork (a 10-minute test at every lesson, only 5 best marks will be considered), 30% a mid-course home assignement, 40% final exam.
Lessons
Lessons will be from 14.00 to 17.15.
For each lesson, the corresponding sections of the book and the corresponding videos of Shai Ben-David's course are listed.
First lesson (September 14, O+111): chapters 1-2 and section 3.1, videos for lectures 1-2 and for lecture 3 up to 0:52:54.
Second lesson (September 21, E+132): chapters 3-4 and section 6.1, videos for lectures 3-5 and for lecture 6 up to 0:52:50.
Third lesson (September 28, A2 Lucioles): section 5.1, sections 6.2-6.4, videos for lecture 6 until 0:53:00, lecture 7, and lecture 8 (until 1:11:54)
Fourth lesson (October 5, E+132): section 9.1, videos for lectures 8 (from 1:11:54), and 9 (note that the videos do not cover all the sections).
Fifth lesson (October 12, A2 Lucioles): section 5.2, chapter 10 (without proofs), videos for lectures 17 (from minute 45), 18, and 19 (up to 0:35:10).
Sixth lesson (October 19, A2 Lucioles): section 12.1.1, beginning of section 12.2, sections 12.3, 9.2, 9.3, videos for lectures 19 (from 0:57:43), 20, 21, and 22 (you can skip between 0:14:30 and 0:48:20).
Seventh lesson (October 26, A2 Lucioles): sections 7.1-7.3 (without proofs), chapter 11, videos for lectures 12 (from 0:44:40), 13, 14, and 15 (up to 0:35:00). Note that the videos do not cover sections 11.2 and 11.3.
Assignment
Assignment text. Hand your solution to the teacher before the start of the lecture on October 12th. If you cannot attend the lecture, send the solution by email.
Exam
The exam will be on November 2nd in room O+228, Amphi Est Templiers, from 14.00 to 16.00.
