Variational Bayesian methods
MATHEMATICAL METHODS USED IN BAYESIAN INFERENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING
Variational bayes; Variational Bayes; Variational Bayesian method; Variational inference; Variational free energy
Variational Bayesian methods are a family of techniques for approximating intractable integrals arising in Bayesian inference and machine learning. They are typically used in complex statistical models consisting of observed variables (usually termed "data") as well as unknown parameters and latent variables, with various sorts of relationships among the three types of random variables, as might be described by a graphical model.