The term ‘Machine Learning’ was coined by the pioneer of artificial intelligence and computer gaming – Arthur Samuel. The definition he provided for the term ‘Machine Learning’ was –

“The field of study that makes computers capable of learning without being explicitly programmed.”

In layman terms, the process of automating and improving the learning process of computers based only on their experiences without any actual programming taking place (with zero human assistance) is exactly what Machine Learning (ML) is. The start of this entire process is with feeding in quality data.