Learning Bayesian Networks

Bayesian networks are graphical structures for representing the probabilistic relationships among a large number of variables and doing probabilistic inference with those variables. The 1990's saw the emergence of excellent algorithms for learning Bayesian networks from passive data. I will discuss the constraint-based learning method using an intuitive approach that concentrates on causal learning. Then I will discuss the Bayesian approach with some simple examples. I will show how, using the Bayesian approach, we can even learning something about causal influences from passive data on two variables. Finally, I will show some applications to finance and marketing.