Definition
Clustering is an unsupervised machine learning technique that groups similar data points together based on their inherent characteristics. It aims to partition a dataset into distinct clusters such that data points within the same cluster are more alike to each other than to those in other clusters. Algorithms like K-means iteratively assign data points to centroids and recalculate cluster centers until convergence, revealing hidden patterns without prior labels. This capability is crucial for identifying customer segments, detecting anomalies, and organizing large datasets efficiently. For instance, e-commerce platforms use clustering to recommend products to users with similar browsing histories. Unlike classification, which assigns data to predefined categories, clustering discovers these categories organically. You will encounter clustering concepts in AI and data science focused certifications and discussions.