What is machine learning and how is it different from AI?

Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence. All machine learning is AI, but not all AI is machine learning. Machine learning specifically means the program improves its performance by learning from data — rather than following fixed instructions.

Think of artificial intelligence as the broad umbrella term for any computer that can make smart decisions. Machine learning is one specific way AI systems work — by learning from examples instead of being programmed with rules. A traditional program might have hundreds of if-then rules. A machine learning program trains on thousands of examples and learns the patterns on its own. This makes it much more flexible and able to handle situations it's never seen before.