In plain words: A broad review of how cause-and-effect links can be found in data, covering classic and newer techniques and how they connect to machine learning. It shows case by case that huge datasets can make some causal questions easier while complicating others.
Abstract
This work considers the question of how convenient access to copious data impacts our ability to learn causal effects and relations. In what ways is learning causality in the era of big data different from -- or the same as -- the traditional one? To answer this question, this survey provides a comprehensive and structured review of both traditional and frontier methods in learning causality and relations along with the connections between causality and machine learning. This work points out on a case-by-case basis how big data facilitates, complicates, or motivates each approach.
Ruocheng Guo, Lu Cheng, Jundong Li, P. Richard Hahn, Huan Liu
arXiv:1809.09337 · cs.AI, stat.ME · submitted Sep 25, 2018 · updated May 5, 2020
abstract · pdf · html · 35 pages, accepted by ACM CSUR