5 Outside the Box Applications of Natural Language Processing
The NLP applications you might never know existed.
Image by Editor | Midjourney
Natural language processing, or NLP, is a field that focuses on studying the interaction between computers and human written language. The aim is to help machines understand and interpret human language helpfully.
Many NLP use cases exist, such as sentiment analysis, text summarization, etc. However, there are so many things that NLP could be done that you might not think of before. It’s also a great way to stand out from the others.
So, let’s see 5 outside the box applications from NLP you should know!
1. Virtual Culture Chatbot
A chatbot is an application that utilizes an NLP system to simulate an interaction via text to understand user input. Businesses usually use chatbots to automate redundant tasks such as standard customer support, appointment booking, and more.
Well, a unique application of an NLP-powered chatbot has been used, and that is to become a Virtual Culture Chatbot that takes us on a walk into the museum. An example application for this is made by the Jewish Historical in Amsterdam, where they created a Culture Chatbot that explores the museum database, such as the collection, exhibition, and many more.
It’s an outside the box application that preserves historical moments and transforms them into interactive virtual guides, allowing us to travel back in time.
2. Evolving Interactive Storybooks For Children
Children's stories in textbooks are fun for children. But what could make them more fun? A textbook that can evolve with the user's interaction. Using the NLP model, we can develop personalized storybooks for children that can be interactive and grow with the kid's interaction. This would change the narrative in real-time and make an exciting time with the family.
A few applications for interactive children's storybooks with NLP for the family have been developed. The paper discussing interactive storytelling and its development is also available to create your NLP-powered storybook.
3. Dream Intepretation
Many believe that dreams have meaning and can be interpreted. Dreams can even signify the undertone of our consciousness from a psychological standpoint. Well, even if you are not an expert in the psychological field, NLP can become a tool to help with dream interpretation. Analyzing the described dream, the model could provide insight into subconscious thoughts and stress emotions.
Depending on the dataset we are trained on, the NLP model can interpret the dream more from the astral or psychological POV. Research is an example of dream classification using the NLP model, which tries to classify the model sentiment.
We can extend the interpretation further with LLM to provide a more in-depth interpretation based on our dream description.
4. Synesthesia Simulation
Synesthesia is a natural condition where one sensory input could trigger another. For example, people can see color in the sounds or smell the text. The NLP model can help simulate sensory crossover using text to experience what it’s like in the synesthesia condition.
Training the NLP model using written text can transform it into a multisensory experience. Analyzing the condition from the text with sensory data, such as smell, taste, color, etc., would provide a way to experience synesthesia in writing.
It’s also possible to do the reverse when we have the other senses in the text; for example, a Music-to-Text Synaesthesia paper explores the possibility. Try to develop your synesthesia experience to stand out from the other.
5. Virtual Dungeon Master for Tabletop RPGs
The last one I want to explain is how the NLP model can become a virtual dungeon master. I am a big fan of tabletop RPGs, and it’s so fun to have a great dungeon master who can navigate us through the game. The NLP model can become that dungeon master replacement.
The NLP model can generate the storyline and adapt to player input. It also helps simulate the interactions of many characters and enemies within the game. There are paper that have tried to explore the potential to use LLM to become a Dungeon Master, which you want to read if you are interested in the topic.
Conclusion
NLP is a field that allows computers to interact and generate human text via modeling. There are many applications from NLP, and we have explored five different outside the box applications, including:
- Virtual Culture Chatbot
- Evolving Interactive Storybooks For Children
- Dream Interpretation
- Synesthesia Simulation
- Virtual Dungeon Master for Tabletop RPGs
I hope this has helped!
Cornellius Yudha Wijaya is a data science assistant manager and data writer. While working full-time at Allianz Indonesia, he loves to share Python and data tips via social media and writing media. Cornellius writes on a variety of AI and machine learning topics.