Source: ETtech
IBM said these new technologies represent the first commercialization of key NLP capabilities to come from IBM Research’s Project Debater.
With an increased demand for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) across businesses, IBM has rolled out advanced AI based solutions under Watson that can read and analyse complex English language including meaning of idioms.
The technology major said this advanced version of natural language processing (NLP) for its Project Debater would have the capability to understand challenging aspects of conversational English helping organisations to get greater clarity and more insights from their data.
IBM said these new technologies represent the first commercialization of key NLP capabilities to come from IBM Research’s Project Debater.
Subram Natrajan, IBM India CTO, said today NLP has many limitations and this is going to push boundaries.
For instance, he said, the Advanced Sentiment Analysis solution, to be integrated into Watson, is going to have a huge impact in terms of understanding the sentiment behind a language.
This feature is defined to identify and analyze idioms and colloquialisms for the first time, said IBM. Phrases like ‘hardly helpful,’ or ‘hot under the collar,’ have been challenging for AI systems because of the difficulty in spotting them using the algorithms. But, with this, businesses can begin analyzing such language data with Watson APIs for a more holistic understanding of their operation, said the company.
Project Debater was introduced last year and IBM has advanced the technologies to make it more effective in demystifying complex data. Eventually, IBM said, the technology would be further advanced to understand regional languages.
Analysts suggest advanced NLP is key for AI applications to yield effective results for businesses.
“AI has moved from hype to reality and has cemented its importance as core in most modern-day applications and IT setups. While there are many areas where AI can add value, organizations are most keen to use AI to drive sales and customer engagement across multiple channels with the use of chatbots, private assistants, and other intelligent platforms. This is where NLP is of critical importance and acts as a building block,” said Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief executive, Greyhound Research.
He added that “thumb rule for the success of any NLP project is simple – the better the ability to understand language”. “Project Debater by IBM was one of the first official attempts by any technology vendor in this direction, and it has come a long way since.”
