In the now non-canonical continuity of Dragon Ball GT, Android 17 was able to unlock his version of Ultra Instinct way before Goku. Ultra Instinct is an angelic power appearing in Dragon Ball Super that separates the consciousness from the body which allows the user's body to move and fight independently of their thoughts. Basically, Ultra Instinct makes a fighter untouchable. While 17’s power isn’t angelic in origin, it is very reminiscent of Ultra Instinct as even Super Saiyan 4 Goku struggled to land a single blow when 17 used it against him in Dragon Ball GT.
Goku first scratched the surface of Ultra Instinct in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 39 by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou. In the chapter, Goku is battling the seemingly invincible Jiren in the Tournament of Power. As Goku thinks back on all of his masters' teachings over the years, and the aligned wisdom they imparted onto him, Goku finally understands how to reach Ultra Instinct if only just for a short period of time and was later able to harness the ability to match Jiren's strength. After the Tournament of Power, Goku continued training with the angel Whis and honed the angelic ability, eventually becoming focused enough to wield Ultra Instinct more effectively during his battles with the likes of Moro and Granolah, but even now Goku has a long way to go before he masters Ultra Instinct completely.
In Dragon Ball GT episode 46, the most powerful version of Android 17—known as Super 17—reveals he wields a power very similar to Ultra Instinct. As Goku tries to stop the villainous android by using instant transmission to teleport behind him and catch him off guard, Super 17 is able to feel the air particles changing where Goku will appear and react before Goku is even finished teleporting. 17’s senses become faster than a fraction of a millisecond, making the prospect of landing a blow seemingly impossible. While 17’s body isn’t reacting autonomously, his enhanced android form is able to process information much faster than the human (or Saiyan) brain, basically making his reaction time as instantaneous as it would be if he was actually tapping into Ultra Instinct.
Given Super 17’s godlike speed that is seemingly on par with the angelic power of Ultra Instinct, it seems like it would be impossible for Goku to have beaten him, even in his Super Saiyan 4 form. However, because of another insanely powerful ability Super 17 had in his arsenal, Goku was able to find a weak spot and take him down. Super 17 had the added ability to absorb any blast that came his way no matter how powerful it was, but he would leave himself completely vulnerable to hand-to-hand attacks while absorbing energy blasts. So, while 18 bombarded 17 with energy attacks, Goku launched himself at full speed toward the distracted 17 and shot through his chest with his own body.
If Super 17 didn’t leave himself wide open for a deadly attack, there is no way Goku could have stopped him. Super 17 was wielding this seemingly godlike power while Goku was still counting his Super Saiyan forms with numbers, and it would be years before Goku would reach a power level comparable to what Super 17 exhibited in Dragon Ball GT, proving that Android 17 unlocked his Ultra Instinct way before Goku.