A model that explains seen data with hidden causes.
It is like finding socks on the floor and crumbs on the couch. You never saw the dog party, but the clues are loud.
It helps AI group data and shrink data. It also helps AI make new examples from hidden patterns.
Generative Model
A latent variable model often uses hidden variables to generate and explain seen data.
VAE
A VAE joins latent variable modeling with neural network training.
EM
EM often trains these models by guessing hidden variables and model settings in turns.
GMM
A GMM is a classic latent variable model with hidden group labels.