{{Short description|Academic conference in machine learning}} {{Infobox academic conference | title = International Conference on Machine Learning | logo = | abbreviation = ICML | discipline = Machine learning, artificial intelligence, feature learning | publisher = | history = 1980–present | frequency = Annual | website = https://icml.cc/ | openaccess = yes (on openreview.net) }} {{Machine learning|Journals and conferences}}

The '''International Conference on Machine Learning''' ('''ICML''') is an international academic conference in machine learning held annually since 1980.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=1 June 1980 |title=Past ICMLs Online Proceedings |url=http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~icml2009/past.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212200944/http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~icml2009/past.html |archive-date=2008-12-12 |access-date=31 January 2023 |publisher=University of Trier |agency=Aktuálně.cz}}</ref> It is the oldest and, along with NeurIPS and ICLR, one of the three primary conferences of highest impact and reputation in machine learning and artificial intelligence research.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-10-07|title=Artificial Intelligence - Google Scholar Metrics|url=https://scholar.google.es/citations?view_op=top_venues&hl=en&vq=eng_artificialintelligence|access-date=2020-10-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007212857/https://scholar.google.es/citations?view_op=top_venues&hl=en&vq=eng_artificialintelligence|archive-date=2020-10-07}}</ref> It is organized by the '''International Machine Learning Society''' (IMLS). Precise dates vary year to year, but paper submissions are generally due at the end of January, and the conference is generally held the following July.

== History == ICML began as the ''International Workshop on Machine Learning'', first held at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in July 1980 and organized by Jaime Carbonell, Ryszard S. Michalski, and Tom M. Mitchell. In 1993 it transitioned to a full conference series under the current name, building on nearly a decade of workshops. Since the 2010s its proceedings have been published open-access in the Proceedings of Machine Learning Research (PMLR), which grew out of JMLR’s Workshop & Conference Proceedings and was renamed PMLR in 2015.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |date=1 June 1980 |title=ICML 2008, Helsinki, Finland |url=http://machinelearning.org/archive/icml2008/past_icmls.shtml |access-date=31 January 2023 |publisher=University of Trier}}</ref>

ICML has published many important research papers that form the foundation of modern Artificial Intelligence. Some notable works include Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's K-means clustering via PCA (ICML 2004); Google's Batch Normalization; Google Brain's EfficientNet (ICML 2019); OpenAI's CLIP (ICML 2021) and the UC Berkeley's Soft Actor-Critic (ICML 2018).

The number of submitted (and accepted) papers has sharply increased within 10 years; from 1037 (270) in 2015 to 12107 (3260) in 2025. Meanwhile, the acceptance rate continues to averages between 21&nbsp;% (2020) and 30&nbsp;% (2024).<ref>{{Cite web|title=ICML Statistics - Paper Copilot|url=https://papercopilot.com/statistics/icml-statistics/|date=2023-04-02|access-date=2026-01-31|language=en}}</ref> 2026 marked a new record with 24,371 submitted papers, more than doubling the previous year.<ref name=":1">{{Cite tweet|number=2016954655599735289|user=icmlconf|title=how many submissions made it over the finish line? Answer: 24371!|author=ICML|date=2026-01-29|access-date=2026-01-31}}</ref> Accepted submissions are presented on-site as posters; furthermore, particularly outstanding contributions are presented orally or are designated by a committee as "spotlight papers." In 2026, 2.2% of submitted contributions were designated as "spotlight" and 0.7% additionally as "oral".<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite tweet |number=2058954803334537302 |user=icmlconf |title=We have sent out notifications for the 168 oral presentations at #ICML2026 |author=ICML |date=2026-05-25 |access-date=2026-05-26}}</ref>

== Profile == ICML’s scope spans the full breadth of machine learning, with particular emphasis on theoretical analysis, algorithmic innovation, and statistical learning. Compared to the other two big machine learning conferences NeurIPS and ICLR, ICML traditionally features more content on statistical learning theory, reinforcement learning and robotics, and optimization theory. Its annual proceedings are published in the open-access Proceedings of Machine Learning Research (PMLR).

ICML attracts sponsors seeking access to ML research and talent. Technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Apple are among sponsors, regularly publishing their research and recruiting researchers at the conference. Financial firms, such as Citadel Securities, Jane Street Capital and D.E. Shaw, also often have a presence at ICML.

== Locations == {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year !! Location !! Country !! Submissions<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-02 |title=ICML Statistics |url=https://papercopilot.com/statistics/icml-statistics/ |access-date=2026-05-06 |website=Paper Copilot |language=en}}</ref>!! Accepted !! Acceptance rate |- | 2026 || Seoul<ref>{{Cite web |title=Conferences Future Meetings |url=https://icml.cc/Conferences/FutureMeetings |access-date=2025-07-26 |website=icml.cc}}</ref>|| {{flag|South Korea}} || 23,918<ref name=":2">{{Cite tweet|number=2049919242862985559|user=icmlconf|title=Decision notifications are being released on OpenReview.|author=ICML|date=2026-04-30|access-date=2026-05-06}}</ref>|| 6352 || 26.6% |- | 2025 || Vancouver || {{flag|Canada}} || 12,107 || 3260 || 26.93% |- | 2024 || Vienna || {{flag|Austria}} || 9653 || 2944 || 30.50% |- | 2023 || Honolulu || {{flag|United States}} || 6538 || 1828 || 27.96% |- | 2022 || Baltimore || {{flag|United States}} || 5630 || 1233 || 21.90% |- | 2021 || Vienna (virtual) || {{flag|Austria}} || 5513 || 1183 || 21.46% |- | 2020 || Vienna (virtual) || {{flag|Austria}} || 4990 || 1084 || 21.72% |- | 2019 || Los Angeles || {{flag|United States}} || 3424 || 773 || 22.58% |- | 2018 || Stockholm || {{flag|Sweden}} || 2473 || 621 || 25.11% |- | 2017 || Sydney || {{flag|Australia}} || 1676 || 434 || 25.89% |- | 2016 || New York City || {{flag|United States}} || — || 322 || — |- | 2015 || Lille || {{flag|France}} || 1037 || 270 || 26.04% |- | 2014 || Beijing || {{flag|China}} || — || 310 || — |- | 2013 || Atlanta || {{flag|United States}} || — || 283 || — |- | 2012 || Edinburgh || {{flag|United Kingdom}} || — || — || — |- | 2011 || Bellevue || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 2010 || Haifa || {{flag|Israel}} || — || — || — |- | 2009 || Montréal || {{flag|Canada}} || — || — || — |- | 2008 || Helsinki || {{flag|Finland}} || — || — || — |- | 2007 || Corvallis || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 2006 || Pittsburgh || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 2005 || Bonn || {{flag|Germany}} || — || — || — |- | 2004 || Banff || {{flag|Canada}} || — || — || — |- | 2003 || Washington, D.C. || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 2002 || Sydney || {{flag|Australia}} || — || — || — |- | 2001 || Williamstown || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 2000 || Stanford || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1999 || Bled || {{flag|Slovenia}} || — || — || — |- | 1998 || Madison || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1997 || Nashville || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1996 || Bari || {{flag|Italy}} || — || — || — |- | 1995 || Tahoe City || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1994 || New Brunswick || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1993 || Amherst || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1992 || Aberdeen || {{flag|United Kingdom}} || — || — || — |- | 1991 || Evanston || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1990 || Austin || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1989 || Ithaca || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1988 || Ann Arbor || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1987 || Irvine || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1985 || Skytop || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1983 || Monticello || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |- | 1980 || Pittsburgh || {{flag|United States}} || — || — || — |}

== See also == * ICLR * ''Journal of Machine Learning Research'' * ''Machine Learning'' (journal) * NeurIPS

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * [https://icml.cc icml.cc] ICML website * [https://machinelearning.org machinelearning.org] Website of the International Machine Learning Society

{{Differentiable computing}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:International Conference On Machine Learning}} Category:Artificial intelligence conferences