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dex3r t1_ixq2b1y wrote

This article of course does not answer the question in the title. It states some irrelevant differences between python, cpp and Java (why those 3? who knows). Then lists python features, that can be found in many other languages.

The truth is that Python is not particularly special for AI, it was just chosen by Google to build early, popular AI libraries like PyTorch TensforFlow.

>Using Python ML libraries, a sample Pile of Cores (PoC) was built to detect basic emotions

Pile of Cores? Not Proof of Concept? OK.

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quad-ratiC t1_ixr3t3j wrote

It’s a misconception that tf and PyTorch are built in python. They both run on extremely fast cpp libraries that are then repackaged for python. Python is simply a more readable language and makes iteration much faster and easier. When these models go into production they are usually in cpp

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CleanThroughMyJorts t1_ixrldjo wrote

yeah but python is still a giant pain in the ass and gets in your way the second you try to do anything beyond the standard programming model.

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That's why there's so much effort these days to make domain-specific-languages inside of python that can compile down to C (tools like Numba, TorchScript, Jax etc).

Somewhere along the line we realized the hidden costs of standardizing around python, but now there's so much infra already invested in it that switching away is impractical. And what can you even switch to?

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botfiddler t1_ixsd9ad wrote

Idk, Python brought us where we are. It just works well for people who want to write rather small programs in a high level language. If they had done all of that with some form of Lisp I wouldn't complain, though.

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DukkyDrake t1_ixsee50 wrote

> was just chosen by Google to build early...

It's no accident. Python was about as close to the description "programmer" as academic scientists wanted to get.

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Polydoris t1_ixqo7h6 wrote

Wait. I thought google developed and almost completely uses TensorFlow not PyTorch.

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dex3r t1_ixqpddj wrote

Sorry, I meant TensorFlow of course.

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