GitHub’s Octoverse 2024 report has confirmed Python’s ascent to the platform’s most widely used language, overtaking JavaScript. This shift highlights Python’s central role in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science, key drivers of GitHub’s recent growth. With contributions to AI projects up by nearly 60% and regions like India and Brazil on track to surpass the U.S. developer population, Python is now the language of choice for AI and machine learning enthusiasts globally.
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AI and the Rise of Python in Data Science
GitHub attributes much of Python’s success to its extensive use in AI and machine learning. As GitHub’s Chief of Data Analytics notes, “Developers globally are moving to open-source AI projects in record numbers.” This trend is reflected in the 92% spike in usage of Jupyter Notebooks—a tool favored in data science—which is largely written in Python and is instrumental for creating and sharing live code along with data visualization and documentation. Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT, smaller AI models have gained traction, allowing developers to integrate machine learning features into applications with reduced computing power, further popularizing Python.
Developers working with AI now have more options with GitHub Copilot, a coding assistant powered by AI that integrates with GitHub to offer real-time code suggestions. Originally based on OpenAI models, the Copilot tool has expanded to include options like Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini models. These models offer different latency and quality levels, catering to diverse user needs.
Beyond Python’s rise, GitHub’s data shows that languages like TypeScript, Rust, and Go are becoming mainstream choices. TypeScript, an extension of JavaScript that adds optional static types, ranks third in popularity, especially for large-scale JavaScript projects. Rust is increasingly favored for its memory safety and performance in systems programming, with applications from Windows to web applications. JavaScript remains strong in npm (Node Package Manager) usage, which drives many web-based projects on both the front and back end.
Global Developer Growth and Emerging Regions
The Octoverse report highlights a rise in new GitHub users globally, especially across Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Africa, driven largely by the demand for AI development tools and GitHub’s education programs. India, predicted to become the largest GitHub developer population by 2028, has implemented national AI and coding education policies, helping to attract new developers. In Latin America, Brazil’s open banking initiatives, and Mexico’s push for local tech ecosystems have fueled a rapid increase in developers using GitHub. Meanwhile, in Africa, countries like Nigeria and Kenya are growing strong open-source communities, with initiatives focused on digital literacy.
Regions traditionally outside of North America and Europe are experiencing new user influxes, including GitHub Copilot’s complimentary access program, which supports students and open-source maintainers. Over seven million students have participated in GitHub’s education initiatives, with a notable 100% growth in student and teacher contributions to open-source AI projects.
Automation Tools Transforming Developer Security and Productivity
GitHub’s Octoverse also examines how developers are using automation tools to streamline coding processes and enhance security. GitHub Actions—a tool for automating code testing and deployment—is now used in public and private repositories to ensure smoother project management and testing. These automation capabilities are essential for developers as they handle increasing code volumes and growing security responsibilities.
Security tools such as Copilot Autofix are addressing code vulnerabilities, helping developers fix common flaws like SQL injection and cross-site scripting up to 12 times faster than manual remediation. This focus on security automation coincides with the rise of Dependabot, a tool that alerts developers to vulnerable or outdated dependencies, which can now be seamlessly merged with developer pull requests.
Government and Public Sector Collaboration in Open Source
GitHub’s role in public sector projects is expanding, with governments worldwide relying on the platform for transparency in tech initiatives. For instance, the Brazilian Central Bank has open-sourced the code for Pix, the country’s real-time payments system, while Switzerland has mandated open-source standards for federal projects.
Across Europe, digital regulations are steering developer practices, particularly under frameworks like the Digital Services Act and the AI Act. These policies prompt more GitHub contributions focused on governance and compliance, establishing new standards in open-source projects.
Generative AI and Open-Source Community Growth
Developers’ engagement with generative AI has soared, according to GitHub, with around 70,000 new public AI projects launched this year. Notably, open-source communities are witnessing broad participation from contributors interested in models suited for automation and specific tasks. Projects like ollama, which enables local AI model use, highlight the interest in smaller-scale AI models that are less reliant on cloud-based computing.
The generative AI category includes popular public projects like Significant-Gravitas’s AutoGPT, designed for autonomous task management, and Koenkk’s zigbee2mqtt, a home automation tool for IoT setups. GitHub’s report shows that regions like the Netherlands, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica are contributing at record rates, even as traditional contributors from the United States and India maintain strong presence.
Governments across Europe and the Middle East are influencing open-source development with new compliance standards that prompt developers to incorporate security checks. The OpenSSF Scorecard, used in nearly all of GitHub’s most popular open-source projects, tracks security best practices, helping maintain high code quality.
Last Updated on November 7, 2024 2:15 pm CET
