Terms related to natural language processing · 3.6.9
natural language processing
information processing in a system that rests on natural language understanding or natural language generation; the entry is labelled as the system sense
What this term settles
The definition is deliberately narrow. It tells the reader what counts as natural language processing and leaves the engineering choices outside the word.
Who it binds
The clause does not instruct anyone. It settles what natural language processing means so that an instruction written elsewhere can be read the same way by both sides.
What to do in your practice
Put natural language processing in the controlled vocabulary with its citation, an owner and a review date. Then test the inventory and the policy against the entry and record every place the firm uses a different word for the same thing.
Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for
- A controlled vocabulary entry for natural language processing with the citation 3.6.9, an owner and a review date.An auditor can check that the term is controlled rather than assumed.
- A product description that names the language task and the input and output it handles.Shows natural language processing in use in the artefact the firm relies on, not only in a glossary.
- An evaluation set with the language, the domain and the scoring rule.The product description mixes the task with the model, so a change of model reads as a change of task.
Common gaps this page catches
- natural language processing is used in the language task in the product description without a written definition, so two teams can mean different things.
- The entry exists in a glossary but not in the system record, so the two disagree at the point of use.
What to prepare before the amendment lands
Put natural language processing on the agenda of the next AI governance meeting with two questions: where is it used, and what would show it is used correctly? Record the answers as actions.
How to test it here
Take one live artefact rather than a template, find the sentence or field where natural language processing is used, and put this page beside it. Record the answer, the artefact and the date, because that record is the evidence and a glossary entry on its own is only an intention.
What this page does not claim
The page does not reproduce the standard, certify the firm or predict the wording the amendment will use; it states natural language processing at the claim level "definition" and stops where the public record stops.
Common questions
- What does natural language processing mean in ISO 22989?
- information processing in a system that rests on natural language understanding or natural language generation; the entry is labelled as the system sense
- What evidence should we keep for 3.6.9?
- A controlled vocabulary entry for natural language processing with the citation 3.6.9, an owner and a review date. A product description that names the language task and the input and output it handles.
- Is natural language processing a requirement?
- No: natural language processing is a definition or clause of a terminology standard, and it becomes binding only when a firm writes it into a policy, a contract or a procedure, or when another standard incorporates it.
Related units
- 3.6.8 natural language generation
- 3.6.10 natural language processing
- 3.6.11 natural language understanding
Source. ISO/IEC 22989:2022, Clause 3.6.9, Terms and definitions. Open the ISO public entry. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso-iec:22989:ed-1:v1:en
ISO catalogue record 88145, the amendment status, stage and dates. Catalogue record 74296, the base standard.
Claim level: definition. The definition is in the public preview. This page states it in our own words and does not reproduce the text.
Last updated: 2026-10-21 · Markdown version · Check your vocabulary