ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Natural language processing

Natural language processing, also known as NLP, is a way of getting computers to understand words that people speak and write. It uses complex computer algorithms to look at words and their relationships to each other to figure out what they mean. For example, if you type "I bought an apple" into a computer, an NLP program would be able to tell that you bought something and what 'thing' you bought.