Transform your customer service with next-generation NLU capabilities

Natural Language Understanding (NLU) is a subset of Natural Language Processing (NLP). While both have traditionally focused on text-based tasks, advancements now extend their application to spoken language as well. NLP encompasses a wide array of computational tasks for understanding and manipulating human language, such as text classification, named entity recognition, and sentiment analysis. NLU, however, delves deeper to comprehend the meaning behind language, overcoming challenges such as homophones, nuanced expressions, and even sarcasm. This depth of understanding is vital for tasks like intent detection, sentiment analysis in context, and language translation, showcasing the versatility and power of NLU in processing human language.  

Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Large Language Models (LLMs) are both used to understand human language, but they serve different purposes. NLP refers to the broader field of techniques and algorithms used to process and analyse text data, encompassing tasks such as language translation, text summarisation, and sentiment analysis. LLMs, such as GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) models, are specific types of machine learning models trained on vast amounts of text data to generate human-like text and perform various language-related tasks, often with higher accuracy and complexity than traditional NLP approaches. Using NLU and LLM together can be complementary though, for example using NLU to understand customer intent and LLM to use data to provide an accurate response.   

An example of Natural Language Understanding (NLU) in action are virtual assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri. While these systems are not solely reliant on NLU, they utilise NLU capabilities as a functional component of their design. By interpreting spoken or typed language, understanding user intent, and executing appropriate actions—such as providing information, setting reminders, or controlling smart devices—NLU empowers these virtual assistants to grasp context, extract pertinent information, and respond accurately to user queries.  

Natural language understanding works by employing advanced algorithms and techniques to analyse and interpret human language. There are several steps in the process. Text tokenisation breaks down text into smaller units like words, phrases or other meaningful units to be analysed and processed. Alongside this syntactic and semantic analysis and entity recognition help decipher the overall meaning of a sentence. NLU systems use machine learning models trained on annotated data to learn patterns and relationships allowing them to understand context, infer user intent and generate appropriate responses.   

NLU presents several challenges due to the inherent complexity and variability of human language. Understanding context, sarcasm, ambiguity, and nuances in language requires sophisticated algorithms and extensive training data. Additionally, languages evolve over time, leading to variations in vocabulary, grammar, and syntax that NLU systems must adapt to. Furthermore, achieving high levels of accuracy and reliability in NLU tasks often requires large-scale data annotation and continual refinement of machine learning models, making it a challenging yet crucial aspect of natural language processing.