Machine Learning: A revolution in the form of science

Today, the world around us is transforming rapidly, faster than at any other point in history, largely driven by the rise of Big Data & IoT, the growth of the cloud, and a new era of intelligence capabilities. Machines are everywhere, constantly creating, collecting and making sense of the data in our midst. With the magic of machine learning and the limitless computing power of the cloud, this data is giving rise to intelligence that can be used to arrive at effective learnings to help governments, businesses and communities solve real-world challenges.

At the first Machine Learning & Data Sciences Conference held in Bengaluru on August 8-9, we showcased how we at Microsoft are bringing our ML capabilities together to realize our vision of empowering every individual and organization on the planet to achieve more. Nearly 600 attendees, including data scientists, students, developers, government elites, startups, cricketers and Microsoft experts, discovered our powerful solutions and also exchanged ideas on the wide-ranging possibilities of data analytics. In fact, the story of transformation is already underway in India. It’s evident from the work we have done with the Andhra Pradesh government, LV Prasad Eye Institute, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and more.

Seeing the future through ML

We have partnered with the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) to create an eye-care solution that successfully predicts the outcome of eye surgeries and improves treatment. LVPEI is a leading non-profit, non-government eye care institution. It has already registered over 400,000 new patients and moved the data of 1.1 million consultations to the cloud for generating actionable insights.

Reaping the harvest of ML

Farmers in various Indian states will soon reap the great benefits of ML. By collaborating with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), we have successfully deployed a tool that uses powerful cloud-based predictive analytics to offer farmers crucial information to help reduce crop failures and increase yield. The insights are generated by assessing existing data on weather conditions, soil and other relevant indicators.