Is NovelAI Actually Good Now?

The Nerdy Novelist
29 Sept 202313:53

TLDRThe video discusses the recent improvements in NovelAI, a tool for authors that has been updated to better suit its users. Despite initial criticisms, the creator acknowledges that NovelAI has made significant strides, particularly in its ability to handle not safe for work (NSFW) content. The video outlines the new features, such as the ability to prompt the AI for specific directions in a story, the use of the latest model 'Kara', and the introduction of a lore book for better context management. However, the creator also points out that NovelAI still has room for improvement, especially in terms of user-friendliness and accessibility for authors without technical skills. The summary emphasizes the tool's potential and the creator's optimism for its future development.

Takeaways

  • 📚 The speaker initially had a negative view of NovelAI but has since changed their opinion due to recent updates.
  • 💡 NovelAI has improved with new features, prompting the speaker to purchase a subscription.
  • 🚀 The tool is particularly useful for writing content that is not safe for work, such as excessive violence or sex.
  • 📈 The speaker acknowledges that NovelAI has made progress but still has some concerns about its functionality.
  • 🔍 The author's note and memory features in NovelAI can be used to give the AI direction, although the control is still vague.
  • 📝 The speaker experimented with providing a chapter ending as a prompt to guide the AI's output.
  • 🤖 The AI model named 'Kara' was highlighted as the latest and most advanced model in NovelAI.
  • ☕ The 'General instruct' module and 'Fresh coffee' config preset were recommended for effective use.
  • 🚫 The speaker prefers longer outputs and finds NovelAI's 400-character limit to be less favorable compared to other tools.
  • 🔄 The process of running and re-running the AI with different prompts until a satisfactory output is achieved is emphasized.
  • 🌟 NovelAI stands out for its ability to handle not safe for work content effectively.
  • 📈 The quality of the text generated by NovelAI is praised as being very good, with potential for further improvement.
  • 📚 The 'lore book' feature is noted as a useful tool for organizing and accessing relevant information about characters, world-building, and locations.
  • 🎯 The speaker suggests that NovelAI needs to better understand its target market and make the tool more accessible to authors.
  • 👵 The tool should be intuitive enough for anyone, including those without technical skills, to use effectively.
  • 📈 Despite the learning curve, the speaker is optimistic about the future improvements of NovelAI based on the recent updates.

Q & A

  • What was the speaker's initial opinion about NovelAI?

    -The speaker was not very kind in their initial video about NovelAI and had some reservations about it.

  • What has changed the speaker's mind about NovelAI?

    -The speaker's mind was changed by a couple of updates made by NovelAI, which led them to purchase a subscription.

  • What is NovelAI particularly good for?

    -NovelAI is particularly good for writing not safe for work content, such as excessive violence or sex.

  • What was the speaker's biggest problem with NovelAI before?

    -The speaker's biggest problem with NovelAI before was that it didn't have a good way to prompt and direct the AI.

  • How does NovelAI handle direction now?

    -NovelAI now allows users to create a new line with a curly bracket to input a prompt, which helps in giving direction to the AI.

  • What is the latest and most advanced model in NovelAI?

    -The latest and most advanced model in NovelAI is called Kara.

  • What is the speaker's opinion on the output length of NovelAI?

    -The speaker prefers a minimum of 400 words per output, and while NovelAI has improved, it still only does up to 400 characters at its maximum, which the speaker finds limiting.

  • What is the speaker's suggestion for writing with AI that includes not safe for work content?

    -The speaker suggests writing the majority of the text in another AI tool like Claude or chat GPT, and then using NovelAI for the not safe for work moments.

  • What feature of NovelAI does the speaker appreciate?

    -The speaker appreciates NovelAI's quality of text, its ability to follow context, and the feature called the lore book for organizing and accessing character and world-building information.

  • What is the speaker's main criticism of NovelAI?

    -The speaker's main criticism is that NovelAI seems to lack clarity on its target market and is not user-friendly enough for authors without technical skills.

  • What does the speaker suggest NovelAI needs to improve on?

    -The speaker suggests that NovelAI needs to improve on its accessibility and ease of use, making it more intuitive for authors and providing clearer guidance and documentation.

  • What is the speaker's overall outlook on NovelAI?

    -The speaker is excited about the recent improvements made by NovelAI and is confident that with further updates, it could become an even better tool for authors.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Initial Impressions and Updates on Novel AI

The speaker begins by acknowledging their previous critical video about Novel AI and the backlash received. They admit that while they still have reservations about certain aspects of Novel AI, recent updates have led them to change their stance and even purchase a subscription. The speaker highlights improvements in the tool, particularly its capability to handle not safe for work (NSFW) content like excessive violence or sex, and invites viewers to reassess the tool's current state.

05:00

🔍 Exploring Novel AI's Story Mode and Prompting Features

The speaker discusses Novel AI's default story mode, which is suitable for book or short story writing. They mention their previous issue with the tool's lack of direction, but note that the community has provided ways to give direction via memory or author's notes. The speaker then demonstrates how to use the new prompting feature by inputting a specific sentence to guide the AI. They also discuss the AI model selection, choosing 'Kara' for its advanced capabilities, and the importance of the 'General instruct' module for giving directions. The speaker further explains the config presets and their choice of 'Fresh coffee' for its effectiveness with instructing. They touch upon the limitation of the tool's output length and their preference for longer outputs, comparing it to another AI tool they are beta testing.

10:01

💭 Challenges and Potential Uses for Novel AI

The speaker shares their experience with Novel AI's output, noting that it has difficulty following instructions, such as maintaining a first-person perspective. They express a willingness to learn the tool's quirks and to be patient, drawing parallels with their experience learning other AI tools. Despite the challenges, the speaker emphasizes Novel AI's strength in generating high-quality NSFW content and suggests a workflow that involves using other AI tools for the majority of the text and Novel AI for specific NSFW scenes. They also praise the tool's text quality and its 'lore book' feature for efficient context management. The speaker concludes with their updated thoughts on Novel AI, noting that while the tool has potential, it needs to become more user-friendly for authors without technical skills. They express hope that the tool will become more accessible and easier to use, and they are optimistic about its future improvements.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡NovelAI

NovelAI is an artificial intelligence tool designed to assist in writing, particularly for authors. In the video, the speaker discusses their evolving opinion on NovelAI, noting its improvements and their decision to purchase a subscription. It is central to the video's theme as the main subject of discussion.

💡Updates

The term 'updates' refers to the recent improvements made to NovelAI that have influenced the speaker's change of heart. These updates are significant as they have enhanced the tool's capabilities and made it more appealing to the speaker.

💡Subscription

A 'subscription' in this context is a service model where users pay a periodic fee to have access to a product or service, in this case, NovelAI. The speaker's decision to purchase a subscription indicates a level of commitment and satisfaction with the tool's offerings.

💡Not safe for work (NSFW)

NSFW content refers to material that may be inappropriate for a professional setting, often including explicit violence or sexual themes. NovelAI is highlighted as a tool particularly adept at generating such content, making it a key concept in the video.

💡Story mode

Story mode within NovelAI is a specific function designed for writing narratives like books or short stories. It is a key feature discussed in the video, as the speaker explores its functionality and how it can be directed.

💡Prompting

Prompting is the act of giving a computer or AI system a starting point or direction for generating content. The speaker discusses NovelAI's new prompting feature, which allows for more control over the AI's output, directly relevant to the video's theme of evaluating the tool's capabilities.

💡AI model

An 'AI model' refers to the specific algorithm or version of the AI used to generate text. In the video, the speaker mentions setting the AI model to 'Kara,' NovelAI's latest and most advanced model, which is crucial for achieving the desired writing style and output.

💡Configuration presets

Configuration presets are pre-set configurations that determine how the AI writes. The speaker chose 'Fresh coffee' for its ability to handle instruct well, which is important for controlling the AI's narrative direction.

💡Output

Output in the context of NovelAI refers to the text generated by the AI based on the input and settings provided by the user. The speaker discusses the limitations and quality of NovelAI's output, which is central to evaluating the tool's effectiveness.

💡Lore book

A 'lore book' is a feature within NovelAI that allows users to create and store information about their characters, world-building, and locations. This feature is highlighted as useful for accessing relevant information only when needed, optimizing the AI's context usage.

💡User-friendliness

User-friendliness pertains to how easy a software is to use, especially for those without technical skills. The speaker criticizes NovelAI for not being intuitive enough for authors, suggesting it needs improvement in this area to be more accessible.

💡Learning curve

A 'learning curve' is the process of acquiring the knowledge and skills to use a new tool or system effectively. The speaker acknowledges that there is a learning curve associated with using NovelAI, which may deter some potential users.

Highlights

The speaker initially had a negative view of NovelAI but has since changed their mind due to recent updates.

NovelAI has improved to the point that the speaker has purchased a subscription.

The tool is particularly useful for writing content that is not safe for work, such as excessive violence or sex.

NovelAI now offers different modes, including a 'story mode' for book or short story writing.

The speaker's main issue with NovelAI was its lack of direction, but this has been addressed in updates.

Users can now provide direction to the AI through an author's note or memory section.

The AI model 'Kara' is the latest and most advanced, producing high-quality language.

The 'General instruct' module allows for more control over the AI's direction.

Config presets like 'Fresh coffee' are designed to work well with instructing the AI.

The speaker prefers a longer output, ideally 400 words minimum, which NovelAI currently does not provide.

NovelAI is in beta and still has room for improvement, particularly in following instructions.

The speaker suggests using NovelAI for specific NSFW sections within a larger work written in other tools.

NovelAI's text quality is praised as genuinely good, with a high level of detail and context.

The tool includes a 'lore book' feature for organizing and accessing character, world-building, and location information.

The speaker believes NovelAI has potential but needs to be more user-friendly for authors without technical skills.

NovelAI's target market seems unclear, and the platform could benefit from a clearer focus on its intended users.

The speaker is part of the target audience and acknowledges the learning curve associated with using NovelAI.

The community around NovelAI is tight-knit, and the speaker sees potential for the tool to become more accessible.

The speaker is confident in NovelAI's ability to improve and is excited to see its future developments.