Machine learning has rapidly become one of those buzzwords embraced by companies around the world. Even if they dont fully understand what it means, executives think that machine learning will magically transform their operations and generate massive profits. Thats good news for technologistsprovided they actually learn the technologys fundamentals, of course.

Amazon wants to help with the learning aspect of things. At this years AWS re:Invent, the company is previewing the DeepComposer, a 32-key keyboard thats designed to train you in machine learning fundamentals via the power of music.

No, seriously. AWS DeepComposer is the worlds first musical keyboard powered by machine learning to enable developers of all skill levels to learn Generative AI while creating original music outputs, reads Amazons ultra-helpful FAQ on the matter. DeepComposer consists of a USB keyboard that connects to the developers computer, and the DeepComposer service, accessed through the AWS Management Console.There are tutorials and training data included in the package.

Generative AI, the FAQ continues, allows computers to learn the underlying pattern of a given problem and use this knowledge to generate new content from input (such as image, music, and text). In other words, youre going to play a really simple song like Chopsticks, and this machine-learning platform will use that seed to build a four-hour Wagner-style opera. Just kidding! Or are we?

Jokes aside, the idea that a machine-learning platform can generate lots of data based on relatively little input is a powerful one. Of course, Amazon isnt totally altruistic in this endeavor; by serving as a training channel for up-and-coming technologists, the company obviously hopes that more people will turn to it for all of their machine learning and A.I. needs in future years. Those interested can sign up for the preview on a dedicated site.

This isnt the first time that Amazon has plunged into machine-learning training, either. Late last year, it introduced AWS DeepRacer, a model racecar designed to teach developers the principles of reinforcement learning. And in 2017, it rolled out AWS DeepLens camera, meant to introduce the technology world to Amazons take on computer vision and deep learning.

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For those who master the fundamentals of machine learning, the jobs can prove quite lucrative. In September, theIEEE-USA Salary & Benefits Salarysuggested that engineers with machine-learning knowledge make an annual average of $185,000. Earlier this year, meanwhile, Indeed pegged theaverage machine learning engineer salary at $146,085, and its job growth between 2015 and 2018 at 344 percent.

If youre not interested in Amazons version of a machine-learning education, there are other channels. For example, OpenAI, the sorta-nonprofit foundation (yes, its as odd as it sounds), hosts what it calls Gym, a toolkit for developing and comparing reinforcement algorithms; it also has a set of models and tools, along with a very extensive tutorialin deep reinforcement learning.

Google likewise has acrash course,complete with 25 lessons and 40+ exercises, thats a good introduction to machine learning concepts. Then theres Hacker Noon and its interesting breakdown of machine learning andartificial intelligence.

Once you have a firmer grasp on the core concepts, you can turn to Bloombergs Foundations of Machine Learning,a free online coursethat teaches advanced concepts such as optimization and kernel methods. A lot of math is involved.

Whatever learning route you take, its clear that machine learning skills have an incredible value right now. Familiarizing yourself through this technologywhether via traditional lessons or a musical keyboardcan only help your career in tech.

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Amazon Wants to Teach You Machine Learning Through Music? - Dice Insights