It also made its research available as open source, which somewhat ironically enabled OpenAI's rapid ascent. The company itself created much of the foundational technology that powers products like ChatGPT. While Google may be in defense mode, it didn't have to be that way.

Microsoft meanwhile has invested billions into OpenAI, with plans for similar AI-infused search and other products, as well as offering access to AI in its cloud. It also plans to infuse its productivity software with generative AI, the technology that allows Bard and ChatGPT to understand and generate new text. The search giant has begun limited public testing of Bard, a chatbot similar to ChatGPT that can respond to some search queries. Still, many of the major contributors to Google's most seminal AI papers have left to join competitors like OpenAI or start their own firms. Pichai has said that Google continues to hire top researchers in the AI field, and there's no doubt the company still retains much strong talent. Google CEO Sundar Pichai declared a 'code red' internally to rally the company around a response and allay fears that its search business could be at threat, The New York Times reported. OpenAI's ChatGPT hit the scene in late 2022 and took the internet by storm with its ability to respond to questions on just about any topic with complex, humanlike responses. Google has found itself in a defensive position as it faces questions over whether it's lost its lead in AI, especially as top researchers leave for competitors.

Top AI researchers have been leaving for startups where their work can have more impact.Still, the company has been slow to turn some of its biggest innovations into actual products.Google has contributed some of the most important research to the field of AI.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

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