AI Coding Copilots Are Helping Python Become More Popular

Generative AI can be a self-fulfilling prophecy: Because gen AI scans vast amounts of data across the internet, its output often reflects the topics most popular on the internet. Python is one of those topics. Currently ranked as most popular in the TIOBE Programming Community Language Index, Python holds a 26.14% rating in the index’s proprietary points system.

The TIOBE Programming Community Index measures trends in programming languages based on search engine volume.

Generative AI helps Python stay at the top of the leaderboard

Python didn’t need additional support to remain at the top of the leaderboard because it has dominated the TIOBE Index for years. In addition, Python is an obvious choice for a programmer seeking a readily accessible language and open career opportunities. Because of its consistent popularity, generative AI copilots have access to a large corpus of Python code examples. As a result, AI systems tend to excel at writing and understanding Python code.

“This trend is visible in the TIOBE index as well, where we see a consolidation of languages at the top,” TIOBE Software CEO Paul Jansen wrote in the index. “Why would you start to learn a new obscure language for which no AI assistance is available? This is the modern way of saying that you don’t want to learn a new language that is hardly documented and/or has too few libraries that can help you.”

Python is well ahead of the next two programming languages on this month’s leaderboard: C++ is at 9.18% and C is 9.03%.

What is propelling Perl?

The most dramatic movement on the TIOBE Index lately, and one that appears to defy the calcification among the top 10, is the language Perl. It has risen to 2.08% and reached the top 10 at ninth place in August. Perl has shown a dramatic rise from 25th place last year. While Perl’s popularity has been on a generally downward trajectory since its heyday from 2003 to 2005, its resurgence in 2025 is significant.

Why? It’s hard to say. Jansen told TechRepublic in an email that many people were asking why Perl was becoming more popular, but he didn’t have a definitive answer. He said he double-checked the underlying data and found the increase to be accurate, though the reason for the shift remains unclear.

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