# Google Built Chatbot Before ChatGPT but Held It Back 2026-08-06T17:41:07+00:00 | Technology | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Google had an internal ChatGPT-style chatbot before OpenAI released ChatGPT, former Google chief scientist Jeff Dean said in a podcast video reported by Hindustan Times. Google employees used it during pandemic lockdowns, including as a lunchtime conversation partner. Dean said Google did not release the system because it sometimes produced inaccurate search-related answers and offensive content. He also said the company initially underestimated demand for uses beyond search, such as drafting notes and summarising documents. Dean spent 27 years at Google and helped develop systems including MapReduce, Bigtable, Spanner and TensorFlow. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Tags: AI safety, Artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, Google, Jeff Dean Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/google-built-chatbot-before-chatgpt-but-held-it-back/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/google-built-chatbot-before-chatgpt-but-held-it-back/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.