Partial Evaluation, Programming Methodology, and Artificial Intelligence

This article presents a dual dependency between AI and programming methodologies. AI is an important source of ideas and tools for building sophisticated support facilities which make possible certain programming methodologies. These advanced programming methodologies in turn can have profound effects upon the methodology of AI research. Both of these dependencies are illustrated by the example of anew experimental programming methodology which is based upon current AI ideas about reasoning, representation and control. The manner in which AI systems are designed, developed and tested can be significantly improved in the programming is supported by a sufficiently powerful partial evaluator. In particular, the process of building levels of interpreters and of intertwining generate and test can be partially automated. Finally speculations about a more direct connection between AI and partial evaluation are presented.