How Machines Decide: Understanding Classification with Logistic Regression

Have you ever wondered how your email knows how to detect spam? Or how apps and smart devices make predictions and decisions? Join ASU Library's Unit for Data Science and Analytics for a foundational mini-series where we will explore the statistics and mathematics under the hood to better understand how machines make decisions.

In this first session, we will lay the groundwork needed to understand how computers classify information and make predictions. We will discuss how probabilities come into play, how mathematical functions transform those probabilities into decisions, and how these ideas come together in logistic regression models. But what exactly is logistic regression? Come join us to learn about it, see how logistic regression is applied in everyday technologies, and learn how you can use it to solve problems with your own data using open-source (free) tools.

As a foundational series, this session is designed for a beginner-to-intermediate audience. Logistic regression is one of the core techniques behind modern machine learning and AI systems, and understanding it provides a stepping stone into more advanced topics like neural networks and deep learning, which we will explore in the second session. No matter where you are in your data journey, join us to learn, explore and reinforce your understanding of how machines learn from data!