An entity is any noun, word, or phrase within a document that represents a distinct concept, person, object, or abstract idea. Entities can refer to tangible things, such as objects (e.g., “car”), locations (e.g., “New York City”), or organizations (e.g., “Microsoft”). They can also represent measurable elements, like quantities (e.g., “200 pounds” or “14 fl. oz.”).
In the context of natural language processing (NLP) and AI, entity recognition is crucial for understanding the meaning and context of text, as it helps to identify and categorize specific pieces of information. This process is often used in tasks like named entity recognition (NER), where entities are extracted and classified into predefined categories, such as persons, places, organizations, dates, or other relevant terms.