Sundar Pichai Admits Google Was Building ChatGPT-Like AI But OpenAI “Put It Out First”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai admits OpenAI’s ChatGPT launch surprised Google, forcing the company to speed up its AI development plans.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently shared how OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in 2022 surprised the tech giant. Even though Google had been leading in AI research for years, OpenAI’s sudden release changed the entire industry’s direction. Speaking at Salesforce’s annual technology event on October 17, Pichai said Google had already been building its own AI chatbot but admitted that OpenAI managed to “put it out first.”
He added that Google wanted its version to be ready and stable before releasing it to the public.
Google Reacted To ChatGPT’s Rise With Urgency
Pichai said that when ChatGPT became popular in 2022, Google realised the shift in how fast AI was growing.
According to reports, the company even issued a “code red” internally after OpenAI’s success. Teams were asked to focus on building commercial AI tools and prototypes.
He explained that Google’s chatbot wasn’t ready at that point. “We knew in another timeline, maybe a few months later, we could have launched it,” he said. “But we didn’t want to put out something that wasn’t up to Google’s standards.”
Pichai mentioned that Google had been investing heavily in AI for years, developing its own chips and scaling up infrastructure to support advanced models.
However, he said Google had to be more careful because it carried a larger “reputational risk” than a smaller company like OpenAI.
Google’s Focus On AI Growth & India Expansion
Pichai also spoke about Google’s growing presence in India. He said the company’s new AI hub in India is its largest investment outside the US.
Around 80% of its new data centre will be powered by clean energy, and it will include subsea cables to strengthen digital connectivity in the region.
He also confirmed that Google plans to launch Gemini 3.0, the next version of its AI model, later this year. While there were rumours of an earlier release, Pichai said the official launch date has not yet been announced.
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