Natural language processing (NLP) is important because it enables machines to understand, interpret and generate human language, which is the primary means of communication between people. By using NLP, machines can analyze and make sense of large amounts of unstructured textual data, improving their ability to assist humans in various tasks, such as customer service, content creation and decision-making.
Additionally, NLP can help bridge language barriers, improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities, and support research in various fields, such as linguistics, psychology and social sciences.