Natural language processing (NLP) is a branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on the interaction between computers and human languages. It involves the ability to understand, interpret, and generate human language in a valuable manner. NLP is used in various applications, including chatbots, sentiment analysis, and machine translation. By employing algorithms to process and analyze language, NLP enables machines to comprehend context, meaning, and intent, bridging the communication gap between humans and machines in diverse fields like customer service, education, and healthcare.