I'll be giving a talk on predictive modeling for the American Statistical Association next Thursday (the 14th) :
Predictive Modeling: An Introduction and a Disquisition in Three Parts
The primary goal of predictive modeling (aka machine learning) (aka pattern recognition) is to produce the most accurate prediction for some quantity of interest. In this talk, I will give a brief introduction as well as as a discussion on three topics: the friction between interpretability and accuracy, the role of Big Data and the current unmet needs.