Published March 18, 2026
Unlike the Probabilistic approach, the Mean-Covariance approach restricts the modeling of randomness strictly to expected values and covariance matrices, using linear algebra to build robust, closed-form models.
With the Mean-Covariance approach we can immediately understand in depth all advanced machine learning concepts, without foregoing an ounce of mathematical formalism and rigor.
Examples of advanced models that have a simple counterpart include
For instance, Causal Bayesian networks are probabilistic graphical models built on complex conditional independence relationships
The mean covariance counterpart of “conditional independence” is “partial uncorrelation”, which reads simply as follows: X is partially uncorrelated with respect to Z if the residual of a regression of X on Z has uncorrelated entries
The Mean-Covariance vs Probabilistic Ecosystem of Machine Learning