General definition:
Inference is the process of drawing a reasoned conclusion from a set of information, premises, or observed data. In other words, it is the act of deducing or estimating new statements from what is already known.
In statistics and data science:
- Refers to the set of methods and techniques used to draw conclusions about a population based on a sample of data.
- Example: using a sample of 1,000 people to infer the opinion of a population of 7 million.
- This includes concepts such as point and interval estimation, hypothesis testing, regression, and predictive models.
In logic and philosophy:
- To infer means to deduce a proposition from other propositions by applying rules of reasoning (deduction, induction, abduction).
In artificial intelligence and machine learning:
- Refers to the process by which a trained model applies what it has learned to predict or classify new cases.
- Example: a computer vision model that, once trained, performs inference to recognize cats in new images.
Everyday example:
If you see wet ground and a folded umbrella at the entrance, you may infer that it has rained.
