Automated Machine Learning: A Survey of Tools and Techniques

Abstract

Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) has revolutionized the field of machine learning by automating complex and time-intensive tasks such as data preprocessing, model selection, and hyperparameter tuning. This study explores the capabilities, limitations, and practical applications of six widely used AutoML tools: Auto-sklearn, TPOT, H2O.ai, Google Cloud AutoML, Microsoft Azure AutoML, and Amazon SageMaker Autopilot. By evaluating these tools across diverse datasets—spanning tabular data, time series, image classification, and text sentiment analysis—the research highlights their predictive performance, computational efficiency, scalability, and explainability. Proprietary tools demonstrated superior scalability and efficiency through cloud integration, while open-source platforms provided more interpretability and flexibility. However, challenges such as lack of transparency in advanced neural architecture search mechanisms and ethical considerations, including bias mitigation, remain prevalent. This study concludes that while AutoML tools significantly lower the barrier to entry for machine learning, ongoing advancements are required to balance performance, usability, and ethical standards, making AutoML an integral solution for real-world applications.