Predictive analytics may also use machine learning to process and analyze data to recognize patterns and connections and to make predictions. Machine learning is the ability of a computer to automatically learn on its own without being explicitly programmed to do so. For example, Netflix uses machine learning and algorithms to categorize viewers into more than 2,000 different "taste" groups to determine which recommendations its viewers see.
Machine learning is starting to be used in accounting through robotic process automation (RPA): software programs that automate repeatable tasks. For example, RPA tools can calculate whether the price and quantity are different across sales orders, invoices, and shipping documents on a daily basis and generate alerts for sales transactions that contain difference in price and quantity.