Artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed how software is built, but it hasn’t made programming languages obsolete. According to the GitHub Octoverse 2025 report, TypeScript became the top language for GitHub projects in August 2025, while Python remained the dominant choice for AI and data science tasks. The volume of public repositories also grew significantly year-over-year, with developers contributing to over 1.1 million public repositories. Here are the programming languages that thrive alongside AI.
Python
Python continues to anchor the AI landscape. Instead of writing core algorithms from scratch, developers leverage its massive ecosystem to handle complex data processing and model training. The language’s dominance is clear: it attracted 2.6 million contributors in 2025 alone, cementing its status as the standard for data science and automation.
TypeScript
TypeScript’s rise mirrors the explosion of AI-generated code. By bringing static typing to JavaScript, it catches errors early and secures large codebases. This utility pushed TypeScript past both Python and JavaScript in August 2025 to become the most-used language on GitHub. The milestone followed a 66% surge in its user base, adding 1 million contributors in a single year, underscoring a major shift toward typed languages for building AI software.
JavaScript
JavaScript remains strong because most AI products require user interfaces. It is frequently used in chatbots, AI dashboards, browser extensions, SaaS tools, and web-based automation platforms. JavaScript was used by 66% of all respondents on GitHub, making it highly relevant for developing AI-powered web applications.
Java
Enterprise adoption of Java is holding steady in AI. It is still used for backend systems, APIs, Android apps, and high-volume platforms at banks, insurance companies, telecom firms, and large corporations. The language is important for use cases beyond AI—many companies are augmenting their existing apps with AI capabilities rather than replacing legacy systems. Java experienced steady enterprise-driven growth, bringing the total number of contributors to approximately 174,705 over the past year, according to GitHub.
C++
C++ is crucial in AI where performance is key. It is applied in inference engines, robotics, embedded systems, games, computer vision, and high-performance computing. When speed, memory control, and hardware-level optimization are required, C++ is invaluable. In July 2026, TIOBE named C++ as one of the three most popular programming languages in the world, trailing only Python and C. This indicates that performance-oriented languages remain in high demand even in the AI era.
C#
C# is used in enterprise software, cloud apps, desktop apps, and game development, and continues to grow. It leverages Microsoft’s ecosystem, including Azure, .NET, Visual Studio, and AI tools. In 2025, C# brought in approximately 136,735 contributors and saw a 22.22% increase compared to the previous year, according to GitHub. It is a useful language for enterprise and interactive products relying on artificial intelligence, particularly in business applications and game engines.
Final Thoughts
The programming languages that will thrive alongside AI are not only those used to build models. Python dominates AI development, while TypeScript and JavaScript dominate modern AI applications. Java is well-suited for enterprise use, C++ for systems requiring performance, and C# for Microsoft-backed and interactive systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which programming language is best for AI development?
Python is widely considered the best language for AI development due to its simple syntax and strong ecosystem. Libraries like TensorFlow, PyTorch, Pandas, NumPy, and Scikit-learn make it useful for machine learning, data science, and automation.
2. Why is TypeScript growing in the AI era?
TypeScript is growing because AI-generated code needs structure, type safety, and easier maintenance. Its static typing helps developers reduce bugs and manage large AI-powered applications more efficiently.
3. Is JavaScript useful for AI applications?
Yes, JavaScript is useful as most AI tools need web-based interfaces. Chatbots, AI dashboards, browser extensions, SaaS platforms, and automation tools often rely on JavaScript frameworks and runtime environments.
4. Why does C++ remain important with AI?
C++ remains important because it offers high performance, memory control, and hardware-level optimization. It is commonly used in robotics, inference engines, computer vision, gaming, embedded systems, and high-performance computing.
5. Should beginners learn Python first for AI?
Yes, beginners interested in AI should usually start with Python as it is easier to learn and has strong AI libraries. After Python, they can learn JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C++, or C# depending on their career goals.