In previous chapters, we learned about how to design and construct an AI assistant, and how to make sure it responds appropriately to the user. AI assistants use classifiers to extract meaning (as an intent) from a user’s natural language input, as shown in figure 11.1. (Some AI platforms refer to the classifier as the natural language understanding [NLU] component.) The intent detected by the classifier is used by the assistant to determine the best response. Thus, getting the right intent from user input is a key part of a well-functioning AI assistant.