New Tool Helps Web Developers Create Natural Language Apps

Assembly language wish lists, in the old days, always included a DWIM instruction: Do What I Mean. End users, if not the IT departments and software developers who serve them, continue to wish for applications that can understand the way that people speak. For the most part, it’s remained a pipe dream, because the developer had to adopt the entire technology of Natural Language Processing—not a subject for the faint of heart (much less those on a deadline).

Now, Israeli company Linguistic Agents has announced a new service, Streaming Logic, for software and Web developers. According to the company, the service allows developers to incorporate Natural Language understanding into a wide range of applications, from isolating key phrases in search engines to helping site visitors find the right information in a product FAQ database.

A server running Streaming Logic receives phrases or sentences in plain English and sends back the XML equivalent. The firm promises that the developer interface has a simple interface, fast and easy integration, compatibility with most programming languages and platforms, cost-effectiveness and optional integration support.