I'll let you in on a secret: I've never understood why LISP is so closely associated with artificial intelligence. I've decided to fix this. In this episode, and the next, I'm tracing the early roots of AI and why list processing is important in the field. This episode we dive into the Information Processing Language, a strange programming language that predates LISP . Along the way we discuss the origin of linked lists, chess playing machines, and a program that could solve logic proofs. Selected Sources: http://bitsavers.org/pdf/rand/ipl/P-620_The_Chess_Machine_Dec54.pdf - The Chess Machine https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/papers/2008/P1929.pdf - IPL V introduction http://shelf1.library.cmu.edu/IMLS/MindModels/logictheorymachine.pdf - Logic Theorist