Natural language processing
Also used: NLP
Natural language processing, or NLP, is the area of AI that helps computers work with human language in text or speech.
Why it matters to educators
NLP powers tools that summarize, translate, transcribe, search, classify, and generate text. Educators benefit from knowing both its useful applications and the ways language, context, and culture can be misunderstood.
The foundation
NLP systems turn language into patterns a computer can process. Depending on the tool, they may identify topics, predict the next word, convert speech to text, or find information related to a question.
Language is not merely a set of words. Dialect, multilingual expression, sarcasm, names, discipline-specific vocabulary, and context can change meaning. Educators should review NLP output carefully, particularly when it describes students or informs a high-stakes decision.
What this can look like in education
Create a transcript
A teacher uses speech-to-text to draft a transcript of a non-sensitive recording, then corrects names, technical terms, and missing punctuation.
Support multilingual communication
A school drafts a translated family message with an AI tool and has a fluent human review tone and accuracy before sending it.