AI programming history: What was the first widely recognized programming language created specifically for artificial intelligence research?

Introduction / Context:
Early AI research required symbolic processing and list structures that were poorly supported by the numeric-focused languages of the 1950s. Understanding the sequence of languages adopted by the AI community clarifies how representation and search techniques shaped language design.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We are selecting the earliest AI-focused language.
• Candidates include general-purpose languages (BASIC, FORTRAN) and AI-centric languages (IPL, LISP).
• Historical context: mid-to-late 1950s development in AI labs.

Concept / Approach:
IPL (Information Processing Language), developed by Newell, Shaw, and Simon in the 1950s, supported list processing for programs like the Logic Theorist and General Problem Solver. It predated LISP and directly targeted AI problem solving. LISP, later created by John McCarthy, became the dominant AI language, but IPL was earlier.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify which options are AI-specific: IPL and LISP.Order historically: IPL predates LISP.Eliminate general-purpose teaching or numeric languages like BASIC/FORTRAN for early AI symbolism.Select IPL.

Verification / Alternative check:
AI histories consistently credit IPL as an early AI language used to implement seminal AI programs, with LISP subsequently providing a more general algebra of programs and data via s-expressions.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
BASIC/FORTRAN: not designed for symbolic AI in the 1950s.

LISP: highly influential but later than IPL.

None of the above: incorrect because IPL is correct.

Common Pitfalls:
Assuming LISP was first due to its long-standing prominence; the chronological first for AI work is IPL.

Final Answer:
IPL