Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that enables computer systems to learn patterns from data and use them to make predictions or decisions. The process generally involves collecting relevant data, preparing it, selecting a suitable model, and training the model to recognize relationships. Developers then evaluate its performance using data that was not used for training. Once validated, the model can be deployed to solve practical problems. Machine learning is used in spam filtering, personalized recommendations, image recognition, and predictive maintenance. Its effectiveness depends on suitable data, careful evaluation, and ongoing monitoring to maintain accuracy as real-world conditions change.