Why are AI agents mostly built in Python and TypeScript, and where do you start?

Because, by GitHub's measures, that is where much of the activity is. Python is a high-level, general-purpose language that emphasizes readability and simplicity, and GitHub reported in 2024 that it had overtaken JavaScript as the most popular language there, which it linked to the surge in data science and machine learning. TypeScript is JavaScript with optional types added, usable on both the client side and the server side of web applications.

GitHub's 2025 report said that in August 2025, counted by contributors, TypeScript became the most used language on the platform for the first time, ahead of Python by about 42,000 contributors; it noted that other indices, using other methods, may still rank JavaScript and Python higher. Its own explanation was a shift toward typed languages that make agent-assisted coding more reliable in production. It also added that Python remains dominant for AI and data science workloads, while JavaScript and TypeScript together account for more overall activity than Python alone. So GitHub's own figures, as of its 2025 report, do not name a single winner.

The tools for agents follow both. The Model Context Protocol, a standard for connecting agents to tools, was released with software development kits in languages including Python, TypeScript, C# and Java.

A reassuring point for a beginner: engineers at Anthropic suggested that developers start by using language-model APIs directly, because many agent patterns can be implemented in a few lines of code. Python is also widely taught as an introductory language, and Hugging Face describes its AI Agents Course as free.