The power and practicality of artificial intelligence is largely undisputed. However, one of its longest-standing difficulties continues to be human language. A misspelled or misused word can frustratingly turn a chatbot conversation on its head, whereas a live service agent would have been able to prevent the mistake. Once computers can authentically understand human language, our business communications will completely transform. Machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) present us with a way to get there.
NLP and Why It Matters
NLP is a branch of AI which enables computers to understand, write and speak languages just like humans. NLP has a number of use cases, including search engines, translation services, and chat or voice bots. Almost half of today’s businesses use applications that are powered by NLP, and one in four businesses plan to begin using NLP technology within 12 months.
Ida Byrd-Hill is a futurist, economist and CEO of Automation Workz, a cybersecurity reskilling and diversity consulting firm. She is author of Invisible Talent Market, a Black Labor Economics History book. She holds an MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University, with a specialization in People Management/Strategy and a BA Economics from the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor. Byrd-Hill has appeared in Associated Press, BBC, Crain’s Business Detroit, CW Street Beat, Cybercrime Magazine, Daytime NBC, Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Essence Magazine, Good Morning America, Let It Rip, Michigan Chronicle, Model D, NPR, PBS, and X-conomy. www.autoworkz.org/diverse-lens
