Description: Data leakage in the context of supervised learning refers to situations where a machine learning model is trained using information it should not have access to. This can occur when test data leaks into the training set, leading to overfitting and misleading performance evaluation of the model. Essentially, the model learns patterns that are not generalizable to unseen data, compromising its ability to make accurate predictions in real-world situations. Data leakage can arise in various ways, such as accidentally including labels in the training set or using features that are inappropriately correlated with the target variable. This phenomenon is critical in the development of machine learning models, as it can lead to overly optimistic results that do not replicate in practice. Identifying and mitigating data leakage is essential to ensure the integrity and validity of models, as well as to foster trust in AI-based decisions.
