What is NLU: A Guide to Understanding Natural Language Processing

There are so many possible use-cases for NLU and NLP and as more advancements are made in this space, we will begin to see an increase of uses across all spaces. Using NLU, voice assistants can recognize spoken instructions and take action based on those instructions. For example, a user might say, “Hey Siri, schedule a meeting for 2 pm with John Smith.” The voice assistant would use NLU to understand the command and then access the user’s calendar to schedule the meeting. Similarly, a user could say, “Alexa, send an email to my boss.” Alexa would use NLU to understand the request and then compose and send the email on the user’s behalf. Another challenge that NLU faces is syntax level ambiguity, where the meaning of a sentence could be dependent on the arrangement of words.

For example, in the sentence “The cat sat on the mat,” the syntactic analysis would identify “The cat” as the subject, “sat” as the verb, and “on the mat” as the prepositional phrase modifying the verb. The process of Natural Language what does nlu mean Understanding (NLU) involves several stages, each of which is designed to dissect and interpret the complexities of human language. When deployed properly, AI-based technology like NLU can dramatically improve business performance.

Deep Learning and Neural Networks in NLU

In NLU systems, natural language input is typically in the form of either typed or spoken language. Text input can be entered into dialogue boxes, chat windows, and search engines. Similarly, spoken language can be processed by devices such as smartphones, home assistants, and voice-controlled televisions. NLU algorithms analyze this input to generate an internal representation, typically in the form of a semantic representation or intent-based models. NLU also enables the development of conversational agents and virtual assistants, which rely on natural language input to carry out simple tasks, answer common questions, and provide assistance to customers. NLU techniques are valuable for sentiment analysis, where machines can understand and analyze the emotions and opinions expressed in text or speech.

Considering the amount of raw data produced every day, NLU and hence NLP are critical for efficient analysis of this data. A well-developed NLU-based application can read, listen to, and analyze this data. Currently, the quality of NLU in some non-English languages is lower due to less commercial potential of the languages. Natural Language Understanding enables machines to understand a set of text by working to understand the language of the text.

Mastering Deep Learning Terminology: The Language of AI

This is useful for consumer products or device features, such as voice assistants and speech to text. This gives customers the choice to use their natural language to navigate menus and collect information, which is faster, easier, and creates a better experience. Named Entity Recognition is the process of recognizing “named entities”, which are people, and important places/things.