The Digital Press

Peter Norvig reflects on the evolution of Lisp and AI programming since his book "Paradigms of AI Programming" was completed, comparing Lisp's features to languages like Java and Python and discussing Lisp's relevance in 2002.

Why it matters: Lisp remains powerful for AI but faces growing competition from languages like Java and Python with broader adoption and ecosystem support.

The big picture: Lisp's unique features—macros, first-class functions, and efficiency—still excel, but lack of modern libraries and standardization limits its popularity.

Stunning stat: Lisp is 1.5 to 4 times faster than Java and 10 to 50 times faster than Python in various benchmarks.

Commenters say: Many appreciate Lisp's enduring strengths and efficiency but note its declining popularity and ecosystem challenges compared to mainstream languages.