Post

Exploring Wolfram Language 15 with Stephen Wolfram » (June 16, 2026 @ 4:30 PM ET)

June 23, 1988 is when we launched Version 1.0 of Mathematica . Today—almost 38 years later—we’re launching Version 15 of what—in recognition of how far it’s expanded beyond “math”—we now call Wolfram Language . It’s an impressive release, with a lot of new core functionality. It might perhaps seem surprising that after 38 years there’d still be more to add. But it’s like the typical arc of intellectual history: the more one’s figured out, the further one can see, and the more one becomes able to do. And for all of us working on it, it’s been a very satisfying process: year after year building an ever taller tower of ideas and technology, with which we can reach ever further—today to all the functionality of Version 15.

For the past four decades we’ve had a consistent mission: to apply the computational paradigm as broadly and deeply as possible—and to do so by building our unique computational language to represent and compute about the world. Over these four decades the use of computation and the computational paradigm has spread greatly—not least, I think, as a result of tools and ideas we’ve introduced. But now there’s also a new driver: modern AI. And it’s been exciting to see so much unexpected progress happen in the world of AI.

For us, one of the immediate consequences has been that our base of users has expanded from just humans, to humans and AIs. And it’s turned out that all the effort we put into the coherent design of the Wolfram Language—aimed at making it easy and efficient for humans to use—now also makes it easy and efficient for AIs.

For years we’ve put great emphasis on interfaces for human users, starting from the concept of notebooks that we invented for Version 1.0 . Now we’re also putting emphasis on interfaces for AIs, to make it as easy as possible for AIs and AI systems (and the humans who use them) to have good access to our technology.

Our technology is certainly a powerful tool for AIs. But it’s also a powerful tool for humans using AIs. Because it provides a unique way for humans to formalize things , and know exactly what’s being said, or done. I’ve always seen the development of Wolfram Language as doing for the computational paradigm an extended version of what mathematical notation did centuries ago for the mathematical paradigm: providing a streamlined and precise way to represent and communicate ideas.