Classification and Clustering Algorithms: How Do They Work?

Clustering and classification are two common machine learning techniques for recognizing patterns in data. In the first season of our Lucid Thoughts explainer video series, we talked about what they are and how to tell the differences between them. Watch the episode now:

9USc731zmqZA3C1k2S1L6v

Clustering and classification are types of machine learning, but they work in very different ways.

Classification

Classification is a type of supervised learning where the computer is learning to do something based on a set of training data that is already labeled by humans.  The machine classifies new data according to these  predetermined labels by finding patterns in the data set.

Clustering

Clustering is a type of unsupervised learning so there is no training set or pre-existing classes or labels for the machine to work with. The machine looks at the various characteristics of the data set and finds what’s similar and what’s not.

how does artificial intelligence work.fw b

Both methods teach the machine how to organize data, just in different ways.

You can binge-watch both  season one and season two right now.wa

Read more about how clustering and classification is used in ecommerce.

Subscribe to the Lucid Thoughts channel and be sure to leave your questions and comments on each video.

Share the knowledge

You Might Also Like

Why Protocols Matter for AI Agents: From Context to Commerce

AI agents are rapidly becoming the connective tissue of modern enterprise systems....

Read More

Enterprise AI adoption in 2026: Trends, gaps, and strategic insights

Based on Lucidworks’ 2025 AI Benchmark Study of 1,600+ AI leaders and...

Read More

Agentic AI and the Rise of Protocols: Where the Ecosystem Is Headed Next

n 2025, we’re moving fast toward a new paradigm in AI: agents...

Read More

Quick Links