Decision Trees and Building Models

The podcast episode begins with a discussion about the recent election and the surprising poll results. The host mentions that while there is demand for a data skeptic perspective on this topic, they will wait until they have more information to provide a serious analysis. However, the episode dives into the concept of decision trees and building models. The host explains how decision trees can be used to predict preferences or outcomes based on observed data. They discuss the importance of choosing the right questions to ask in order to create an effective decision tree. The episode explores the Genie Index, a mathematical format that balances the frequency and co-occurrence of different variables in decision trees.