NLP
Natural language processing (NLP) is a field of computer science and artificial intelligence that develops methods for analysing, transforming, or generating spoken and written human language. Common tasks include search, classification, information extraction, translation, summarisation, speech recognition, and dialogue systems.
NLP is not synonymous with generative AI or LLMs. Rule-based techniques, statistical models, smaller specialised models, and large language models may be used or combined according to the task. Ambiguity, context, specialist language, dialects, and uneven training data limit reliability. Evaluation must therefore reflect real audiences, languages, failure types, and consequences.
- Processes written and spoken language
- Includes analysis, search, translation, and generation
- Not limited to large language models
- Context and ambiguity remain challenging
- Test with real languages and audiences
Frequently asked questions
NLP is the field that studies and develops computational analysis, processing, and generation of human language.
NLP is a research and application field within computing and AI; not every AI system processes language, and not every NLP method is an LLM.
