The important relationship between humans and machines has grown vastly more complicated and important since the rise of natural language processing, or the ability of machines to use computational linguistics to understand us when we speak to them as if they were other people. Business intelligence, in particular, has been fundamentally upended by the rapid adoption of NLP across the market, with whimsical devices and services like Alexa and Google Home now seeming normal rather than extraordinary.
However, having your machines understand you when you speak is anything but normal. Here’s a deep dive into the marvellous world of natural language processing, and how it’s going to transform BI as we know it.
BI is already adjusting to NLP
It was just a few years ago that you would have struggled to find a single good example of natural language processing in the market, but today it’s just about everywhere. BI and smart entrepreneurs with an eye on the future are already beginning to adjust to the reality of NLP because this astonishing technology has already made our AI pocket-assistants like Siri an everyday facet of our lives. Natural language processing isn’t just for everyday people trying to talk to their iPhone or computers, however; it can be leveraged by businesses to improve their business in the pursuit of greater competitive advantage.
The business applications of NLP already abound; contemporary businesses are leveraging NLP to optimize their customer service options, for instance, or to monitor their reputation. Keeping track of your brand’s reputation is immensely important in the digital age, especially now that a single rogue tweet or social media mishap can send a company’s shares plummeting in the open market. The ever-growing myriad of business applications for natural language processing technology is only going to inflate in size and importance as time goes on, too.
Nowhere will NLP be more disruptive than in BI, however, because it will help companies vacuum up more and better information on their customers, competitors, and internal operations alike. NLP will also make it vastly easier for employees who aren’t too tech savvy to make use of complicated digital tools. Chatbots and automated IT operations in the future, for instance, will relay instructions to frustrated employees in simple, clear, human language emitted through a speaker rather than giving them confusing textual directions on a screen.
Data is meant for everyone
One of the biggest challenges in BI right now is making data accessible to everyone; some employees who struggle with computers or complex software services simply can’t make effective use of the dizzying data piles that are so essential towards modern ways of doing business. Luckily, NLP will make sure that data is meant for everyone, including online language learning companies like Preply, and will make it vastly easier for companies to guarantee that their luddite-workers can still harness the power of technology efficiently.
There are actually plenty of reasons to believe that machine learning applications to BI will become so advanced that AI-driven speech will soon eclipse human speech online. NLP technology will predominately be a liberating one, however, and will contribute to a better economy rather than one where humans are shut out. What businesses should be focused on is tapping into the innovative power of NLP to democratize digital technology and make it easier for everyone to use.
Visualizations simply aren’t enough when it comes to working with the huge sums of data we have access to these days. Only NLP and the associated technologies which have made it a reality has the potential to clear up our data-clogged market. After all, what’s the point in collecting huge sums of information if your workers can’t make effective use of it? Time and time again, the reason businesses will turn to NLP will be because it’s the only option that helps them equip their workers with easy-to-use tech that helps them do more with less.
We’re often told that disruptive innovations are set to upend our modern way of life, but it’s hard to argue that natural language processing is fundamentally transforming BI. As the rest of the 21st century unfolds, you’ll see just about every BI operation worth its salt adopt NLP with gusto.