The document provides an overview of the EM algorithm. It begins by explaining the need for the EM algorithm when parameters and data points are unknown. It then defines the EM algorithm as an iterative method for finding maximum likelihood estimates for latent variables in statistical models. The key steps of the EM algorithm are the Expectation step (E-step) which estimates missing values, and the Maximization step (M-step) which updates parameters based on the estimated data. The algorithm repeats these steps until convergence is reached. Applications of the EM algorithm include data clustering, mixture modeling, and estimating latent variables in general.