Why natural language processing is A.I.'s silver bullet

Artificial intelligence (A.I.), in some form or fashion, is all around us; its presence pervades our lives in ways seen, hidden and/or overlooked. Its influence is growing and will continue to do so for years to come. As currently constructed, though, it will not lead to the idyllic future researchers and enthusiasts predict, but rather an ideal-adjacent alternative owing to one missing element: natural language processing (NLP). Why is that so important? Well, beyond revolutionizing the concept of a user interface in ways undeniably more natural and efficient, it would truly upend the way we interact with and utilize machines forever.