The model built by machine learning was also far more successful than linear models that used the same information. The reason is intriguing: “The machine-learning algorithm finds significant signal in combinations of variables that might otherwise be missed.” The algorithm’s ability to find patterns easily missed by other methods is especially pronounced for the defendants whom the algorithm classifies as highest risk. In other words, some patterns in the data, though rare, strongly predict high risk. This finding—that the algorithm picks up rare but decisive patterns—brings us back to the
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