Alphabet's Google is on the brink of a significant release in the world of artificial intelligence. The tech giant has granted a select group of companies early access to "Gemini," its state-of-the-art conversational AI software, as reported by Reuters. This move is seen as Google's strategic response to compete with OpenAI's renowned GPT-4 model.

The stakes for Google are undeniably high with the launch of Gemini. The company has ramped up its investments in generative AI this year, especially after the success of Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT, which took the tech industry by surprise last year.

Gemini isn't just another AI model; it's a comprehensive collection of large-language models. These models are designed to power a wide range of applications, from chatbots to features that can either summarize or generate original text based on user preferences. This includes creating email drafts, music lyrics, and even news stories. Furthermore, Gemini is anticipated to assist software engineers in writing code and producing original images based on user requests.

While developers currently have access to a sizable version of Gemini, Google is still in the process of developing an even larger version, aiming to match the capabilities of GPT-4. Plans are in place to offer Gemini to businesses through Google's Cloud Vertex AI service.

In addition to these advancements, Google recently introduced generative AI to its Search tool for users in India and Japan. This feature displays text or visual results in response to user prompts, including concise summaries. The company has also made its AI-driven tools available to enterprise customers at a monthly rate of $30 per user.

With the impending launch of Gemini, the future of conversational AI looks promising, and the tech world eagerly awaits its impact.