Final answer:
Machine Learning is the subset of Artificial Intelligence that uses statistical techniques to enable computers to learn from collected data. It is key to developing weak AI, which performs tasks or solves problems by analyzing large datasets and making decisions based on that data.
Step-by-step explanation:
The technology that is a subset of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and uses statistical techniques to enable computers to "learn" from collected data is Machine Learning. Machine Learning (ML) allows computers to improve their performance on a specific task over time with data, without being explicitly programmed for that task. This is in contrast to other aspects of AI, like Natural Language Processing, which focuses on enabling computers to understand human language, or Data Mining, which is more about discovering patterns in large datasets. ML is especially powerful in applications where it can adapt to new data independently.
Artificial intelligence is typically sorted into two categories: strong and weak AI. Strong AI would perform multiple cognitive tasks like a human at an impressive speed, while weak AI is more specialized, performing primarily one task, such as Apple's Siri. Machine Learning is a critical technology for achieving what is often considered weak AI since it specializes in predictive analytics and pattern recognition based on historical data.