Which function's objective is to represent the difference between the predictive value and the target...

Detailed Answer in Step-by-Step Solution:

Objective: Identify the function that measures the difference between predicted and actual values in machine learning.

Understand ML Functions:

Optimizer function: Adjusts model parameters to minimize error (e.g., gradient descent)—it uses the cost, not defines it.

Fit function: Trains the model by fitting it to data—process-oriented, not a measure.

Update function: Typically updates weights during training—not a standard term for error measurement.

Cost function: Quantifies prediction error (e.g., MSE, cross-entropy)—directly represents the difference.

Evaluate Options:

A: Optimizer minimizes the cost, not the cost itself—incorrect.

B: Fit executes training, not error definition—incorrect.

C: Update is vague and not a standard ML term for this—incorrect.

D: Cost function (e.g., loss) measures prediction vs. target—correct.

Reasoning: The cost function (or loss function) is the mathematical representation of error, guiding optimization.

Conclusion: D is the correct answer.

In OCI Data Science, the documentation explains: “The cost function (or loss function) measures the difference between the model’s predicted values and the actual target values, such as mean squared error for regression or cross-entropy for classification.” Optimizers (A) use this to adjust weights, fit (B) is a training step, and update (C) isn’t a defined function here—only the cost function (D) fits the description. This aligns with standard ML terminology and OCI’s AutoML processes.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Data Science Documentation, "Machine Learning Concepts - Cost Functions".