What is an Algorithm? - AWS AI Practitioner AIF-C01

Algorithm and Function Definitions
📌 An algorithm is defined as a set of mathematical or computer instructions designed to perform a specific task.
⚙️ An algorithm can be composed of several smaller, sequential algorithms, essentially describing *how* to accomplish something.
🧩 A function is a method of grouping algorithms together so they can be called to compute a result, similar to how a machine learning model groups algorithms.

K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) Algorithm
🔍 The K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) algorithm is used to create a supervised classification machine learning algorithm.
👯 KNN operates by determining "who your closest neighbors are" to infer that an entity belongs to the same class.
📏 KNN utilizes various distance metrics for comparison, including Euclidean, Hamming, and Manhattan distances.
💡 While KNN itself is not inherently machine learning, it becomes a machine learning algorithm when applied to solve a machine learning problem.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ An algorithm answers the question: "How do we do something?"
➡️ A function serves to group algorithms for repeated computation, like in a machine learning model structure.
➡️ KNN works purely based on proximity, identifying nearest neighbors using metrics like Manhattan distance.
➡️ KNN only becomes a Machine Learning Algorithm when it is applied to solve an ML problem.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Feb 03, 2026, 02:40 UTC