NovelAI Review: Do NOT Purchase Before Viewing

The Nerdy Novelist
4 Jul 202315:08

TLDRThe video reviews NovelAI, a tool for AI-assisted storytelling. Despite its polished website and image generation capabilities, the tool falls short for authors seeking to write novels. NovelAI requires existing text to continue stories, lacks direction for narrative, and its 'lore book' feature is underwhelming. The reviewer finds it unsuitable for novel writing and recommends alternatives like Pseudorights or ChatGPT for more control and coherence in storytelling.

Takeaways

  • 🔍 NovelAI is a tool for AI-assisted authorship and storytelling.
  • 🌐 The website is user-friendly and has a better design compared to Pseudorights.
  • 🖼️ It offers image generation, often with an anime focus.
  • 🔑 NovelAI uses GPT models but does not specify which version.
  • 💡 Users can customize the AI to write in specific author's styles or themes.
  • 🆓 There is a free tier offering 100 free text generations.
  • 💵 Pricing tiers are $10, $15, and $25 per month, with higher tiers offering more memory tokens.
  • 📝 The tool requires users to write a bit first before it can continue the story.
  • 📚 It includes a 'Lore Book' for character and world-building information.
  • 🎮 NovelAI is more suited for interactive storytelling and gaming experiences rather than novel writing.
  • 📖 The reviewer recommends Pseudorights and ChatGPT as better alternatives for novel writing.

Q & A

  • What is NovelAI and what does it offer?

    -NovelAI is a monthly subscription service for AI-assisted authorship, storytelling, virtual companionship, and it is powered by GPT. It offers a sandbox for your imagination and includes features like image generation and customizable editors.

  • How does NovelAI differ from other AI writing tools like Pseudorights?

    -NovelAI has a more polished website design and offers image generation with a focus on anime styles. It also provides AI modules trained in specific authors' styles or themes, but the reviewer found these to be gimmicky and not offering unique value.

  • What are the subscription plans offered by NovelAI?

    -NovelAI offers a free tier with 100 free text generations, and paid plans at $10, $15, and $25 per month. The main difference between tiers is the number of memory tokens, which determine how far back the AI can remember.

  • What is the purpose of the memory tokens in NovelAI's pricing plans?

    -Memory tokens determine the AI's memory capacity, allowing it to remember more context from previous interactions with higher token counts. This is important for continuity in long-form writing.

  • How does the Storyteller feature in NovelAI work?

    -The Storyteller feature requires the user to write a bit of text first, then it continues the story. It does not take prompts in the traditional sense but builds on existing content.

  • What is the main issue the reviewer has with NovelAI for novel writing?

    -The main issue is that NovelAI does not allow for setting a clear direction or prompt for the story. It requires the user to write first, then it continues, making it difficult to control the narrative direction.

  • What is the Lore Book feature in NovelAI?

    -The Lore Book is a feature that allows users to input character information and other details that the AI can reference when continuing the story. However, the reviewer found it to be overrated and not significantly helpful.

  • How does the Text Adventure feature differ from the Storyteller?

    -Text Adventure is more interactive and game-like, allowing users to make choices that influence the story's direction, unlike Storyteller which builds on existing text.

  • Why does the reviewer recommend against using NovelAI for novel writing?

    -The reviewer finds NovelAI to be unusable for novel writing because it lacks the ability to set a clear narrative direction and relies on the user to write initial content for the AI to continue.

  • What alternative does the reviewer suggest instead of NovelAI for novel writing?

    -The reviewer suggests using Pseudorights' Story Engine as a better tool for creating novels, as it allows for more control over the narrative direction and story elements.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Introduction to Novel AI

The speaker begins by addressing a frequently asked question about Novel AI and its utility for authors. They introduce the tool, found at novelai.net, which is often mentioned in discussions about AI-assisted fiction writing. Despite being around for a while, Novel AI hasn't gained as much popularity as other tools like Pseudoright. The speaker intends to explore why this is the case and whether it's worth considering. The homepage of Novel AI is briefly reviewed, highlighting its monthly subscription service for AI-assisted authorship, storytelling, and virtual companionship. It's noted that Novel AI uses GPT models but does not specify which version. The website design is praised as being better than Pseudoright's, and the tool also offers image generation, much of which is anime-focused. It's mentioned that Novel AI was previously used for uncensored access to certain models, but this might have been addressed. The speaker also discusses the editor customization and the security features of Novel AI.

05:03

📚 Exploring Novel AI's Features and Pricing

The speaker delves into Novel AI's features, mentioning the AI modules that are trained in specific authors' styles or themes, but finds them to be gimmicky and not offering unique value. They discuss the tool's pricing tiers, starting with a free tier offering 100 free text generations, and paid tiers at $10, $15, and $25 per month, with the main difference being the number of memory tokens, which determine how much context the AI can remember. The speaker logs into Novel AI to demonstrate its interface, showing the dashboard, story creation, image generation, and text-to-speech features. They critique the design as not very cohesive and compare it to Pseudoright, suggesting areas for improvement.

10:05

📖 The Limitations of Novel AI for Novel Writing

The speaker discusses the process of using Novel AI for writing, highlighting that it requires the user to write a bit first before the AI can continue the story, which is not ideal for authors looking to create a novel with a clear direction. They find the tool's approach to be problematic for novel writing as it lacks the ability to set a narrative direction. Advanced settings are mentioned, but the speaker argues that these are too technical and not useful for setting the story's course. The speaker also talks about Novel AI's lore book feature, which allows users to input character information and other details for the AI to remember, but criticizes it as overrated since the tool cannot be directed to create specific outcomes. The speaker concludes that Novel AI is not a tool for writing novels and suggests that it might be better suited for interactive storytelling or gaming experiences. They recommend Pseudoright as a superior tool for novel writing, praising its ability to generate synopses, characters, outlines, and story beats efficiently.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡NovelAI

NovelAI is a tool mentioned in the video that is designed to assist authors with their writing through AI. It is described as a monthly subscription service for AI-assisted authorship, storytelling, and virtual companionship. The tool is said to be powered by GPT models, although the specific version is not specified. In the context of the video, NovelAI is critiqued for not offering unique features that significantly enhance the writing process beyond what can be achieved with other AI writing tools.

💡GPT

GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, a type of deep learning model that generates human-like text based on the input it receives. In the video, GPT is mentioned as the underlying technology that powers NovelAI. The video does not specify whether NovelAI uses GPT-3 or GPT-4, but it is implied that the tool leverages these models to create text.

💡Pseudorights

Pseudorights is another AI writing tool that is compared to NovelAI in the video. It is noted for having a website design that is inferior to NovelAI's but is praised for its functionality, particularly in terms of its 'Story Engine' feature. The video suggests that Pseudorights might be a better option for authors looking to use AI for their writing needs.

💡Image Generation

Image Generation refers to the capability of NovelAI to create images, which is highlighted in the video. The images produced by NovelAI are noted to be anime-focused, and there is a mention of the tool being used to create uncensored images, although it is unclear if this feature still exists.

💡AI Modules

AI Modules in NovelAI are specialized models that are trained to emulate the writing style of specific authors or themes. Examples given in the video include styles similar to Arthur Conan Doyle or themes like Dark Fantasy. However, the video argues that these modules do not offer significant value over manually specifying the style or theme in other AI writing tools.

💡Memory Tokens

Memory Tokens refer to the capacity of NovelAI to remember information from previous inputs, which is crucial for continuity in storytelling. The video explains that with higher-tier subscriptions, users get more memory tokens, allowing the AI to remember more details. This is likened to the capabilities of GPT-4 but is not seen as a compelling feature in NovelAI.

💡Storyteller

The Storyteller feature in NovelAI is one of the writing modes discussed in the video. It requires the user to write an initial part of the story, and then the AI continues from there. This method is criticized for not allowing the user to set the overall direction of the story, which is a significant drawback for authors looking to create structured narratives.

💡Text Adventure

Text Adventure is another mode in NovelAI that is more interactive and game-like, allowing users to make choices that influence the story's direction. This feature is seen as more suitable for creating interactive stories rather than full-length novels.

💡Lore Book

The Lore Book in NovelAI is a feature that allows users to input information about characters and settings, which the AI can then use to inform its writing. While this feature is presented as a way to enhance storytelling, the video argues that it is overrated and not as effective as it could be, as it does not fundamentally change how the AI generates the story.

💡Chat GPT Plus

Chat GPT Plus is mentioned as an alternative to NovelAI, particularly in the context of cost. The video suggests that using GPT-4 through Chat GPT Plus might be more cost-effective than subscribing to NovelAI, especially considering the features offered.

Highlights

NovelAI is a tool for AI-assisted authorship and storytelling.

It offers a monthly subscription service with different pricing tiers.

The free tier provides 100 free text generations.

Paid tiers offer increased memory tokens for the AI to remember context.

NovelAI's website design is considered better than Pseudorights.

It includes image generation, often with an anime focus.

Users can customize the editor and secure their writing.

AI modules are available for writing in specific author styles or themes.

The AI continues writing from existing text rather than starting from a prompt.

NovelAI might not be suitable for authors looking to plan and write novels.

The tool has advanced settings for fine-tuning AI output.

NovelAI includes a 'lore book' for character and world information.

The lore book's memory capacity is tied to the subscription tier.

The reviewer finds NovelAI unsuitable for novel writing due to its approach.

Text Adventure mode offers a more interactive storytelling experience.

NovelAI is more akin to an interactive gaming experience than a novel-writing tool.

The reviewer recommends Pseudorights as a better tool for novel writing.

Chat GPT is suggested as an alternative free resource for novel writing.