A recent query using Google Trends shows an interesting level of interest in machine learning over time (see figure below). There was an emergence in hype around the 2005 time-frame and led to a cooling off period, but once big data started heating up around 2010, the upward swing in interest continues until today. The good thing is that “machine learning” really is just a confluence of related disciplines like computer science, statistics and mathematics. These fields aren’t going anywhere and neither is machine learning. Statistical learning is here to stay!