The Go programming language is experiencing a significant surge in popularity, reaching its highest-ever rankings on industry indexes. This growth coincides with the rise of AI-powered coding tools, sparking a debate among software development experts about the long-term effects on code quality, developer skills, and the future of the profession.
Key Takeaways
- The Go programming language has climbed to its highest position on the TIOBE popularity index, reaching #7.
- Experts suggest AI code generation tools are making Go more accessible, potentially contributing to its increased adoption.
- A debate has emerged among developers regarding the quality of AI-generated code, with concerns about mediocrity and maintenance challenges.
- The Go development team is actively working to integrate the language with AI tools and frameworks, aiming to make it a primary choice for AI systems.
Go's Resurgence in Developer Rankings
Recent data indicates a notable increase in the adoption and popularity of the Go programming language. This trend is visible across multiple industry metrics, suggesting a renewed interest within the software development community.
According to Quebec-based programmer and consultant Dominic St-Pierre, there has been a noticeable "spike" in interest in Go over the past six months. This observation is supported by quantitative data from respected industry trackers.
By the Numbers: Go's Growth
In November, Go achieved its all-time highest position on the TIOBE index, a widely recognized measure of programming language popularity, ranking at #7. The Stack Overflow developer survey also reflected this growth, with 16.4% of respondents reporting they used Go in 2024, an increase from 13.5% the previous year.
Paul Jansen, CEO of TIOBE, commented on the language's strengths, noting its speed, ease of learning, and straightforward deployment. Based on current trends, Jansen projected that "Go will bypass JavaScript within three years" in TIOBE's rankings.
Programming educator John Arundel, author of The Deeper Love of Go, believes the language has strong staying power. "Go is just so embedded in the fabric of the cloud and internet and everything else," Arundel stated. "It’s going to be with us until long after the apocalypse, probably!"
The AI Factor in Go's Adoption
One of the key drivers potentially fueling Go's recent growth is the proliferation of artificial intelligence development tools. Experts suggest that AI's ability to generate code is lowering the barrier to entry for new programmers and simplifying the creation of new applications.
St-Pierre has observed a surge in AI-generated command-line interface (CLI) tools being submitted to online communities like Reddit. Arundel agreed that AI may be helping newcomers overcome initial hurdles. "It’s making it way easier for them to just build something," he noted, adding that Go's syntax seems particularly compatible with AI generation.
Official Support for AI Integration
The core development team behind Go is actively pursuing the AI demographic. On Go's 15th anniversary, Go lead Austin Clements announced that the team was "working on making Go better for AI — and AI better for Go." This initiative includes enhancing Go's capabilities for AI infrastructure and building first-class support for the language in popular AI Software Development Kits (SDKs) such as LangChainGo and Genkit.
This strategic focus aims to position Go as a leading language for building production-level AI systems, leveraging its existing strengths in creating robust and efficient software.
Concerns Over Code Quality and Developer Skills
While AI may be boosting Go's popularity, it has also raised significant concerns about the quality of the resulting software. St-Pierre, who consults for various businesses, has found that the code produced by AI tools is often subpar.
"I’m sorry, but it’s not good code. And I would not want to be in a team that produced that kind of code," St-Pierre said after testing an AI model. "I don’t want to maintain code that the AI generates, because it’s mostly not good."
He expressed frustration that "mediocrity now is accepted everywhere" and that the bar for acceptable deliverables has become very low. This leads to a marketplace flooded with a high volume of low-quality products. "Instead of having one or two really decent choices, you have 30 — but 22 of them will close in the next two weeks," he explained.
Another challenge is the sheer volume of AI-generated code that requires review. St-Pierre described a scenario where developers are overwhelmed by "a gazillion pull requests," which discourages thoughtful problem-solving and thorough review.
A Shift in the Software Developer's Role
In contrast, John Arundel offers a more optimistic perspective on the rise of AI in programming. He argues that software has always had quality issues, even when written exclusively by humans. "Is bad software produced by AI any worse than bad software produced by humans?" he questioned.
Arundel views AI as a tool that can bring more people into programming. "I just think it’s kind of nice if it’s introducing a whole new generation of people to getting into this," he said. He believes the role of the senior developer will evolve rather than disappear.
The job may shift away from manual coding toward higher-level tasks. "Your job is going to be more about reviewing and fixing and guiding other people’s code and cudgeling it into some sort of decent architecture," Arundel explained. He acknowledged that this is a different skill set, but one that some developers may enjoy.
However, St-Pierre remains concerned about the impact on junior developers and the loss of mentorship. He worries that if new programmers learn primarily from AI-generated code, their fundamental understanding and growth could be stunted. "I was enjoying hiring a junior, training a person… and seeing them explode and beat me at some point. That is fun," he reflected, questioning if that experience will be lost.
As the industry navigates this transitional period, both experts agree that programming as a human activity is unlikely to vanish. The core skills of problem-solving, architectural design, and critical review may become even more valuable in a world where code generation is increasingly automated.