Machine Learning Always Outperforms OLS: Evidence from 1,000 Real Datasets

Dear Dr. Patel, Thank you for your submission. Our reviewer raises a fundamental conceptual issue: OLS and machine learning serve different inferential goals. OLS is not typically deployed for out-of-sample prediction, so benchmarking the two on predictive MSE does not support the paper's claims about when OLS should be used. We are unable to accept the manuscript in its current form and do not encourage resubmission without a substantial reconceptualisation. Best regards, The Editors