A former Google artificial intelligence engineer has claimed that the company developed a conversational AI system similar to ChatGPT well before OpenAI launched its widely popular chatbot. According to Thibault Sottiaux, Google internally created a chatbot known as LMChat nearly a year before ChatGPT became publicly available in late 2022. However, the company reportedly chose not to release the product to consumers.
The claims have sparked renewed interest in Google's early work on generative artificial intelligence and raised questions about how leading technology companies balanced innovation with safety, product quality, and business strategy during the early stages of the AI race.
According to Sottiaux, LMChat was designed as a conversational AI assistant capable of answering questions, engaging in natural language conversations, and assisting users with a wide range of tasks. Its capabilities reportedly resembled many of the features that later became popular through ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms.
Although Google had developed advanced language models for several years, the company reportedly decided against releasing LMChat publicly at the time. Industry observers believe several factors may have influenced that decision, including concerns about the reliability of AI-generated responses, potential misinformation, user safety, and the reputational risks associated with deploying powerful generative AI systems.
Before ChatGPT's public launch, Google had already established itself as one of the world's leading AI research organizations. The company introduced influential research papers, developed advanced transformer architectures, and contributed significantly to natural language processing, machine learning, and large language model research. Many of the foundational technologies used by today's AI systems originated from research conducted by Google scientists.
Despite these technological advances, Google initially adopted a more cautious approach toward releasing generative AI products directly to the public. The company had consistently emphasized responsible AI development, focusing on safety testing, fairness, privacy, and reducing harmful or misleading outputs before commercial deployment.
The release of ChatGPT by OpenAI in November 2022 dramatically changed the competitive landscape of artificial intelligence. The chatbot quickly gained millions of users worldwide and demonstrated strong public demand for conversational AI tools. The rapid adoption prompted major technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, Meta, Anthropic, and others, to accelerate their own AI product strategies.
Following ChatGPT's success, Google expanded its consumer-facing AI offerings by introducing Bard, which later evolved into Gemini. The company also integrated generative AI capabilities into Google Search, Workspace applications, Android, Cloud services, and developer tools.
Technology analysts note that the reported existence of LMChat illustrates an important reality within the technology industry: many companies often develop innovative products internally years before they become publicly available. Product launches are frequently delayed while organizations address technical challenges, regulatory considerations, infrastructure requirements, user experience, and commercial readiness.
Artificial intelligence systems require extensive evaluation before deployment because they can generate inaccurate information, biased responses, or unsafe content if not properly tested. As a result, companies typically conduct internal research, safety assessments, and limited testing before deciding whether to launch products to the general public.
Experts also point out that being first to develop a technology does not necessarily guarantee market leadership. Successful commercialization depends on multiple factors, including timing, product quality, user adoption, infrastructure scalability, regulatory compliance, and continuous innovation. OpenAI's rapid success with ChatGPT demonstrated how effective product execution can significantly influence the competitive landscape.
Neither Google nor OpenAI has publicly commented on every aspect of the reported claims regarding LMChat. As with many reports involving former employees, some details have not been independently verified through official company documentation.
The discussion surrounding LMChat highlights the intense competition among major technology companies in the field of artificial intelligence. Organizations continue investing billions of dollars in research and development as AI becomes increasingly important across industries including education, healthcare, software development, finance, manufacturing, and scientific research.
As generative AI continues to evolve, companies are placing greater emphasis on balancing innovation with responsible deployment. Safety testing, transparency, privacy protection, and regulatory compliance have become central considerations in the development of advanced AI systems.
The reported existence of LMChat serves as a reminder that breakthroughs in artificial intelligence often result from years of research and experimentation. While public attention may focus on product launches, much of the underlying innovation occurs long before technologies reach consumers. The AI industry is expected to remain highly competitive as companies continue introducing more capable, secure, and reliable generative AI solutions.