Perl is still hidden in dark corners all over Linux distributions and even macOS (which is why it still ships with Perl, but not Python).
√ ~ % /usr/bin/python3 --version
Python 3.9.6
√ ~ % /usr/bin/perl -v
This is perl 5, version 34, subversion 1 (v5.34.1) built for darwin-thread-multi-2level (with 2 registered patches, see perl -V for more detail)
...
However, if you install the Xcode Command Line Tools, it will install Python solely because of their developer tool dependencies. It’s not really meant for end user development use. The longer term intent is to eliminate those dependencies but that’s a lot of work.
You probably see this version because you have the Command Line Tools installed. If you go to a macOS system without the Command Line Tools installed, you will get Apple’s deprecation notice when you try to run Python.
I learned this the hard way. I wrote a ~1,000 line Python script for our giant fleet of Macs only to discover Python was finally removed and that it was only present on my system, because I had installed the Command Line Tools.
In the AI world, Python use is mostly invoke a series of framework API(a few hundred lines of code), for data manipulation you still have to use shell or Perl.
The internet, telecommunications, bioinformatics etc industries and entire generations of backend were built entirely in Perl. And by many definitions is still the case.
I never really enjoyed Python itself. I loved, LOVED Perl — at least when I was working with code I wrote.
I sometimes think about going back to Perl and finishing my days with it, but I haven’t pulled the trigger.