Step 1: Understanding machine learning (ML)
Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that enables systems to learn from data and make decisions or predictions without being explicitly programmed for each specific task.
Step 2: Core objective
The main purpose of ML is to build systems that can analyze vast amounts of data, identify patterns, and make informed decisions or predictions.
Step 3: Elimination of incorrect options
Manually coding each task defeats the automation goal of ML.
ML is not a storage system, so options (3) and (4) are not suitable.
Step 4: Conclusion
Hence, the correct answer is (2) Analysing data and making decisions.