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Google Prediction API

code.google.com

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Re: Google Prediction API

#51

Post by jodrellblank »

btilly wrote: post #36
mikecane wrote: post #31

As a non-techie, I don't understand the language example they're using. It seems to me many prediction engines are originally built to try to forecast winning lottery numbers or other such gambling events. Google expects me to believe they did this for language?

The point is that they took a large number of documents, which are clearly labelled as to language, gave it as a training set to the machine, and they now have a classifier that lets you input random text and tells you the language it was probably written in. In principle you can do this with any data set and any set of discrete outcomes. In general, though, you should expect that the resulting classifier won't give…

they now have a classifier that lets you input random text and tells you the language it was probably written in.

Incidentally, Google Translate does this and starts guessing the source language as you start typing. I found it interesting that when you type a single character, w is guessed as Polish, i is Norwegian, s is Czech, e is Portuguese...

Re: Google Prediction API

#52

Post by kmod »

physcab wrote: post #24
m0th87 wrote: post #10

This is easily the most interesting announcement so far. Machine learning has so many applications, but its use is constrained by the high barriers to entry. Recommendation engines, for example, are huge sales drivers, but few among even the largest ecommerce stores use them. A simple prediction interface that's built on the ML expertise at Google is a win for everyone.

For very specific problems, yes. The translation classification example is definitely a type of prediction problem that would be good for this service. However, this is far from a silver bullet to ML problems. It can be quite dangerous, for example, to send off a bunch of data to google and immediately trust their analysis without knowing the underlying application of their algorithm. As a researcher in this area, wh…

I don't think Google has some magic "make this algorithm scale to huge datasets" box that they can run things through. The reason why Google can run predictions on huge datasets is because they designed an algorithm that has lower accuracy but greater scalability; this service seems to be just them giving you an API to that algorithm. I think your comment sounds like "I like your algorithm, but I'd rather use my algorithm, so please run my algorithm but make it have the features of your algorithm"...

Re: Google Prediction API

#53

Post by kmod »

metaguri wrote: post #32

I was guessing that google (in their never-ending desire to consume more data) would want to use us as guinea-pigs to improve their algorithms. It's not 100% clear to me, but from the terms of service: By submitting, posting, displaying, or transmitting Data on or through the Service, you give Google permission to process your Data for the sole purpose of enabling Google to provide you with the Service in accordance…

Using past data to give you better service for future data -- isn't this exactly what you want a prediction algorithm to do?

Re: Google Prediction API

#54

Post by physcab »

zefhous wrote: post #46

I'd love to see how well it could predict comment ratings from Hacker News. The following data would be a good start: 1. Text of comment 2. How many points the comment has 3. How many points the article has 4. Time article was posted 5. Time comment was posted I'd also be interested to see what kind of user bias there is. If you don't provide user names, you could see what kind of rating a comment should have based o…

That would be interesting. Does anyone have a dataset? Ideally to do this type analysis you would also need to know the upvote (or downvote) history of the users so you can pinpoint any bias, or predict which comments you as a user are most fond of reading.

Re: Google Prediction API

#56

Post by srw »

izendejas wrote: post #30
jbrennan wrote: post #2

I knew this was coming.

I had this idea myself, basically machine learning as a service about 3 years or more ago. Somehow, I also knew Google would implement something like this. So while I still consider this a viable startup idea, I knew it would be tough to compete against a behemoth that already has tons of data and experience training countless machine learning algorithms.

We all have this idea in the past, the difference is that Google has many top Ph.Ds pushing Machine Learning advancement, and this is something we can't do with an idea.

Re: Google Prediction API

#57

Post by physcab »

kmod wrote: post #52
physcab wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For very specific problems, yes. The translation classification example is definitely a type of prediction problem that would be good for this service. However, this is far from a silver bullet to ML problems. It can be quite dangerous, for example, to send off a bunch of data to google and immediately trust their analysis without knowing the underlying application of their algorithm. As a researcher in this area, wh…

I don't think Google has some magic "make this algorithm scale to huge datasets" box that they can run things through. The reason why Google can run predictions on huge datasets is because they designed an algorithm that has lower accuracy but greater scalability; this service seems to be just them giving you an API to that algorithm. I think your comment sounds like "I like your algorithm, but I'd rather use my algo…

No, I don't mind using their algorithms (I'm sure they are correct anyways). I just mind that I can't tinker the algorithm to be optimized for my special use case scenario.

You can have accuracy and scalability. It's just that normally you run these types of things in memory on one machine, not on tens to hundreds of thousands of machines. So these algorithms have to be decoupled and that isn't easily done (but I'm sure Google figured it out a long time ago).

Re: Google Prediction API

#58

Post by jacquesm »

conesus wrote: post #49
jacquesm wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Super stuff. I've invested in a Dutch start-up that had this vision about 3 years ago, but got stranded along the way and pivoted in to being a website building company because they found they could make more money in the short term that way (mistake...). Anyway, I have some appreciation for the difficulties you must have encountered, and it doesn't please me but it will please you to know that at least from them you…

Absolutely you can start using it. I evolve it every single day. I use Protopub exclusively as my feed reader, and have been for about a month. Right now, Protopub is an experiment, but it also serves as a beacon to other likeminded hackers in NYC, where I live, that I am interested in meeting others who want to create unique and technically savvy projects. It has done a good job of doing exactly that so far.

Weirdest thing, when I read HN through protopub it wants me to log in again ?

edit: hm, protopub.com proxies all requests ?

Re: Google Prediction API

#59

Post by jacquesm »

izendejas wrote: post #30
jbrennan wrote: post #2

I knew this was coming.

I had this idea myself, basically machine learning as a service about 3 years or more ago. Somehow, I also knew Google would implement something like this. So while I still consider this a viable startup idea, I knew it would be tough to compete against a behemoth that already has tons of data and experience training countless machine learning algorithms.

But three years ago google didn't have this, you could have cornered the market in those three years.

Not doing something because 'google might do it' is not a very good reason.

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