What distinguishes natural language processing (NLP) from other forms of AI is its focus on enabling machines to understand, interpret, and generate human language. Unlike typical rule-based AI approaches that might use structured data, NLP employs algorithms to process unstructured text and spoken language. This enables applications like language translation, sentiment analysis, and conversational agents (chatbots). The complexity of natural languages—with context, nuances, and ambiguity—presents unique challenges that NLP aims to address, thus making it a specialized field within artificial intelligence.