New tools and packages come and go, but the basic grammar of data visualization remains incredibly resilient to trends: at the end of the day, we still need to combine lines, color, and text in an effective way to tell the story of our data. That does not mean, alas…

On the flipside of the many exciting AI innovations of the past few years we find a wide range of known and emerging risks: algorithmic bias, privacy concerns, and copyright infringement come to mind. That’s before we even begin to approach macro-level social problems, like the chance that millions of…

The rapid rise of large language models has dominated much of the conversation around AI in recent months—which is understandable, given LLMs’ novelty and the speed of their integration into the daily workflows of data science and ML professionals. Longstanding concerns around the performance of models and the risks they…

As August comes to a close, many of our readers are heading back to school (be it at university, a boot camp, or online), while others are shaking off the last vestiges of slower summer schedules. What better time to prepare for the next chapter of your data science learning…

The gap between available data and useful data has proven to be very difficult to bridge, despite the proliferation of companies and tools whose sole purpose is to help data practitioners deliver on the promise of their profession. How did this come to be? There are many potential culprits—from outdated…

We tend to think of learning curves as neat, smooth, continuously upwards-trending lines. Look close enough at any learning journey, though, and you’ll see numerous dips and plateaus along the way: in reality, even seasoned professionals feel like beginners when faced with a new tool or workflow. This week, we’ve…

The best writing on math and stats pulls off a difficult feat: it takes lofty concepts and complex formulas and connects them to the practical challenges data professionals tackle in their daily jobs. Some data scientists love sinking their teeth into new math topics, while others tiptoe into this field…

In just a few short months, large language models moved from the realm of specialized researchers into the everyday workflows of data and ML teams all over the world. Here at TDS, we’ve seen how, along with this transition, much of the focus has shifted into practical applications and hands-on…

Looking for some enlightening, engaging, and thought-provoking articles? You’ve come to the right place — Is it time to reevaluate what counts as compelling summer reading? We think so. Conventional wisdom (and many a marketing department) would have us believe that the combination of warm weather and a slower pace calls for low-effort, low-reward entertainment: the intellectual equivalent of popsicles, if you will.