Structured Query Language: The Other AI

When we talk about AI today, we think of LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, or Grok. But SQL is also a kind of AI, and one that’s been quietly powering applications for decades. D. Richard Hipp (creator of SQLite) explores how SQL database engines implement a form of automatic programming: taking your problem statement and generating the algorithms and execution code for you.

▪ Why SQL qualifies as AI, and how it compares to large language models

▪ How SQL compilers translate declarative queries into optimized execution plans

▪ Examples showing multiple possible algorithms for a query, and how the engine selects the best one in microseconds

▪ Why advanced optimizations in SQL engines solve NP-complete problems on your behalf

▪ How leveraging SQL as an AI assistant can boost productivity and accuracy while preventing “reinventing the wheel” with custom code

▪ Practical guidance: when to use embedded engines like SQLite vs. client–server databases like Postgres or MySQLSQL has been writing code for us all along

This talk reframes SQL as the AI assistant you already have, and shows why mastering it is key to long-term developer productivity.