Fuzzy sets in machine learning and data mining

Machine learning, data mining, and several related research areas are concerned with methods for the automated induction of models and the extraction of interesting patterns from empirical data. Automated knowledge acquisition of that kind has been an essential aspect of artificial intelligence since a long time and has more recently also attracted considerable attention in the fuzzy sets community. This paper briefly reviews some typical applications and highlights potential contributions that fuzzy set theory can make to machine learning, data mining, and related fields. In this connection, some advantages of fuzzy methods for representing and mining vague patterns in data are especially emphasized.