Ever since OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT, the entire technology landscape has shifted towards something new. The AI chatbot release sparked an industry-wide race toward generative AI, leaving even tech giants like Google scrambling to recalibrate the strategies.
Speaking at Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai reflected on that pivotal moment and how it impacted the company’s long-standing AI efforts. “Credit to OpenAI, they put it out first,” Pichai said, acknowledging the unexpected rollout that caught many in Silicon Valley off guard.
According to Google insiders, the launch resulted in a “code red.” Teams were quickly redirected to AI initiatives, and the company accelerated projects that had been in development for years. Pichai revealed that Google had already developed an advanced conversational AI model but chose not to release it prematurely due to potential “reputational risks.”
“We knew in a different world, we might have launched our chatbot just a few months later,” Pichai said, pointing out that Google’s caution was intentional. Before going public, the company wanted to make sure the product met its high reliability and user safety standards.
Despite initial criticism that Google had been outpaced, Pichai described ChatGPT’s debut as a turning point rather than a setback. “When ChatGPT launched, contrary to what people outside felt, I was excited because I knew the window had shifted,” he explained, adding that such disruptions frequently drive innovation.
By March 2023, Google had launched its own chatbot, Bard, which was later rebranded as Gemini, signalling its formal re-entry into the AI race. Since then, Google has doubled down on AI across its product ecosystem, indicating that the competition sparked by OpenAI has only sharpened its focus.