The same conflict, and the same opportunity for historic achievement, lies in natural language processing, if we can only learn the lessons of these years. Linguistics can?t beat brute force any more than blackboard algorithms and case-based reasoning can play chess. Therefore, the opportunities we face in applying language technologies - such as information retrieval, spoken language interpretation, and corporate knowledge management - all require us to embrace brute force and very carefully and selectively sprinkle brilliant linguistic methods on top of Moore's law and mountains of data, which we must recognize are the real drivers of our current revolution.
This talk will present examples of real innovations in natural language processing and how they are finding their way into significant advances with real commercial impact. Focusing on information retrieval and knowledge management, we will explore the relationships between NLP research and the commercial systems of today along with the exciting opportunities for real innovation in the coming years. In each area we will bring to bear some examples of companies that successfully apply NLP in valuable applications.