Writing WITH Artificial Intelligence?! | My Experience with NovelAI

Dylan, a writer and web developer, shares his experience with NovelAI, an app that uses artificial intelligence to assist in writing stories. He explains that NovelAI offers a natural language processing playground with AI models trained on real literature, allowing users to fine-tune their writing with various settings. Dylan discusses the app's features, such as a writing space where AI can contribute, a memory section to help with continuity, and the ability to train a personalized AI model. He also mentions the community's focus on privacy and freedom of speech, which sometimes overshadows writing discussions. Despite some confusion with advanced settings, Dylan appreciates NovelAI's advanced options and recommends trying the app, especially for its unique story creation capabilities. He also notes the app's cost, which is $25 a month for full features, and suggests using the free trial before committing.

Takeaways

• 📚 NovelAI is a writing app that uses artificial intelligence to assist in story writing.
• 💡 It features a natural language processing playground with AI models trained on real literature.
• 🔧 Users can fine-tune the AI's output with a variety of settings and export their work.
• 🌟 The app emphasizes privacy and freedom of speech, which is a strong selling point for many users.
• ✍️ The writing process involves a collaborative feel where the AI can add to the user's input.
• 📈 Users can choose from different AI models, each tuned for a distinct writing style.
• 🧠 NovelAI includes a memory section to help with continuity, especially with character, setting, and plot details.
• 🎬 Author Notes can be used to guide the AI, similar to a director's instructions to an actor.
• 🖼️ The app has the capability to generate images, though this feature may not appeal to all users.
• 🤖 Advanced users can train their own AI model based on personal writing examples for a customized experience.
• 💸 NovelAI offers a free trial, but the full feature set costs $25 a month, which some may find expensive.
• 📈 Despite some confusion with settings, the interface is user-friendly and the app provides valuable writing tools.
• 💭 The user community is very passionate about privacy and freedom of speech, sometimes to the point of distraction from writing discussions.
• 📉 The mention of the image generation feature being primarily used for 'hot anime babes' indicates a potential misuse of the tool.
• 📚 There is a desire for more documentation and official guidance to help users navigate the advanced settings.

Q & A

What is NovelAI and how does it assist in writing stories?

NovelAI is a writing application that uses artificial intelligence to assist users in crafting stories. It offers a natural language processing environment with AI models trained on real literature, allowing the AI to adapt to the writer's input and contribute to the writing process. Users can fine-tune the output with various settings and export their work for backup and sharing.

How does NovelAI handle the common issue of AI forgetting details in long stories?

NovelAI addresses the issue of AI forgetting details by including a memory section where users can enter important information that the AI should remember, such as characters, settings, and plot points. This feature helps to compensate for the limited memory often found in AI writing applications.

What are Author Notes in NovelAI and how can they be used?

Author Notes in NovelAI are instructions given by the writer to guide the AI's writing process, similar to a movie director giving directions to an actor. These notes can be saved in the memory for consistent guidance or added inline with the text for more spontaneous changes.

Can you train your own AI model with NovelAI?

Yes, NovelAI allows for advanced control where users can train their own AI model. This personalization enables the AI to write in a style similar to the user's own writing, based on examples provided by the user.

What was the experience like when using NovelAI to write a high school drama story?

The experience involved starting with a built-in template and allowing NovelAI to introduce a plot twist. The AI suggested an unlikely pair of prom dates brought together by a dare and a secret, which added an element of tension and drama to the story, even as a real romance developed.

How did NovelAI handle the user's preference for literary realism in the second story experiment?

Initially, NovelAI insisted on adding fantastical elements like ghosts, which went against the user's preference for literary realism. However, through a compromise, the story evolved to incorporate magical realism and surreal elements involving the telephone network in the Gilded Age hotel setting, along with the inclusion of a ghost.

What are the community's views on privacy and freedom of speech in relation to NovelAI?

The user community surrounding NovelAI is highly focused on privacy and freedom of speech, sometimes to the point of obsessiveness. These topics are frequently discussed on platforms like Reddit and Discord, often overshadowing conversations about writing.

How does the NovelAI image generation feature typically get used according to the user's observation?

The user observed that the image generation feature of NovelAI is often used to create images of anime characters with exaggerated proportions, which they found to be a distraction from the writing process.

What are the user's thoughts on the advanced settings in NovelAI?

The user appreciates the advanced settings in NovelAI but finds them somewhat confusing. They suggest that more documentation, video tutorials, or official guidance would be beneficial for users to fully understand and utilize the application's capabilities.

What is the cost of using NovelAI and what does the user recommend?

NovelAI offers a free trial, but to access the full set of features, it costs $25 a month. The user recommends trying NovelAI, suggesting that while the price may seem high, the features and capabilities of the application justify the cost.

How does the user suggest managing the NovelAI subscription?

The user recommends using the subscription in a cyclical manner, saving work out periodically, allowing the subscription to lapse, and then resuming it when new writing features are introduced or needed.

What are the unique features that NovelAI's language models and modules offer to story creation?

NovelAI's language models and modules offer the ability to create unique and interesting stories by providing various AI models, writing styles, thematic elements, and inspiration from example texts, enhancing the writer's creativity and productivity.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to NovelAI - A Writing App with AI Assistance

Dylan introduces himself and his cat Penny, and then dives into discussing NovelAI, a writing application that utilizes artificial intelligence to assist in story creation. He explains that the app offers a natural language processing platform with AI models trained on real literature, allowing users to fine-tune the output through various settings. The app also emphasizes privacy and freedom of speech, which are highly valued by the developers and the user community. Dylan shares his personal experience with NovelAI, noting that it can feel collaborative and that it has modules to help with writing styles, thematic elements, and inspiration from example texts. He also mentions the app's memory section to help with continuity and the ability to give Author Notes for more directed writing. Additionally, NovelAI can generate images, although Dylan expresses a lack of personal interest in this feature. For advanced users, there's an option to train your own AI model based on your writing style. Dylan concludes the paragraph by discussing his testing of NovelAI through writing two different stories, one a high school drama and the other a test of the app's configuration options.

05:00

💰 The Cost and Community Discussion of NovelAI

The second paragraph addresses the cost of using NovelAI, which is $25 a month, a price point higher than popular streaming services like Spotify, Netflix, or Amazon Prime, but comparable to other advanced AI services. Dylan opens the floor for community discussion, inviting those with more experience to share their insights, and encourages questions and observations from viewers. He concludes his thoughts on NovelAI by suggesting that while the price might be considered steep, the app offers a comprehensive set of features. He recommends trying NovelAI, noting that he personally saves his work and then pauses his subscription, resuming it when new features are released. Dylan appreciates the advanced settings and the ability to create unique stories with NovelAI's language models and modules, although he admits to finding some settings confusing and calls for clearer documentation and tutorials.

Keywords

NovelAI

NovelAI is a writing application that utilizes artificial intelligence to assist users in crafting stories. It stands out for its natural language processing capabilities, allowing it to adapt to the user's input and provide a collaborative writing experience. In the video, the host uses NovelAI to write two stories, demonstrating how the AI can introduce plot twists and generate unique narratives.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. In the context of the video, AI is central as it is the driving force behind NovelAI's functionality, enabling it to assist in the writing process by generating text and ideas based on user input.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Natural Language Processing is a field of AI that focuses on the interaction between computers and human languages. NovelAI employs NLP to understand and respond to the user's written text in a way that feels natural and seamless, allowing for a more human-like collaboration in the storytelling process.

AI Models

AI models in the context of NovelAI refer to the different styles and approaches that the AI can adopt when generating text. Each model is tuned to write in a distinct way, providing users with a variety of options to suit their writing preferences or the tone they wish to achieve in their stories.

Memory Section

The memory section in NovelAI is a feature that helps overcome the common limitation of AI writing tools, which often struggle to retain information over long texts. Users can input details into this section to ensure that the AI does not forget important elements such as characters, settings, and plot points, thus maintaining consistency in the story.

Author Notes

Author Notes in NovelAI are instructions given by the user to guide the AI's writing process. They function similarly to a director's notes to an actor, providing direction on how the AI should approach the writing. These notes can be saved in the memory for consistency or added inline for more spontaneous changes.

Image Generation

Although not the main focus of the video, NovelAI has the capability to generate images, which can be useful for visualizing characters or settings in a story. However, the host expresses a personal preference for focusing on the writing aspect and finds the generation of certain types of images, like 'hot anime babes,' to be a distraction.

Privacy and Freedom of Speech

The video discusses the importance of privacy and freedom of speech, which are strongly emphasized by the developers of NovelAI. These principles are highly regarded within the user community, sometimes to the point of dominating discussions at the expense of other writing-related conversations. The host advocates for the right to write privately and freely, then suggests moving the conversation forward.

Configuration Options

Configuration options in NovelAI allow users to fine-tune the AI's output according to their preferences. This includes setting the writing style, thematic elements, and other parameters. The host found these settings to be somewhat confusing and called for more documentation and guidance to help users navigate them effectively.

Subscription Model

NovelAI operates on a subscription model, offering a free trial to users before they commit to a monthly fee of $25 for full access to its features. This pricing is compared to other entertainment services like Spotify, Netflix, or Amazon Prime, and while considered steep by the host, it is justified by the extensive features provided by the application.

Writing Features

Writing features in NovelAI refer to the various tools and functionalities available to assist in the writing process. These include the ability to generate text, refine writing styles, and incorporate thematic elements. The host appreciates the uniqueness and interest that these features can bring to a story, despite some initial confusion with the settings.

Highlights

NovelAI is a writing app that uses artificial intelligence to assist in story writing.

The app offers a natural language processing playground with AI models trained on real literature.

Users can fine-tune the output with a range of settings and export their work for backup and sharing.

Developers emphasize privacy and freedom of speech within the NovelAI community.

NovelAI can add to your writing and adapt to your input, providing a collaborative feel.

The app includes a writing space and the ability to revise and continue writing until satisfied.

NovelAI provides a selection of AI models, each tuned to write in a different style.

Modules within NovelAI add refinements such as writing styles, thematic elements, and inspiration from example texts.

The app has a memory section to help with continuity, useful for remembering characters, settings, and plot.

Author Notes can be used to give NovelAI instructions, similar to directing an actor.

NovelAI has the capability to generate images, although the user is not particularly interested in this feature.

Advanced users can train their own AI model in NovelAI to write in their unique style.

The user tested NovelAI by writing two stories, one a high school drama and the other a test of configuration options.

NovelAI introduced an unexpected plot twist in the high school drama story.

In the Gilded Age hotel story, NovelAI initially insisted on adding supernatural elements, leading to a compromise on magical realism.

The user feels the NovelAI community is overly focused on privacy and freedom of speech, detracting from writing discussions.

NovelAI's image generation feature is primarily used for creating images of anime characters, which the user finds distracting.

The advanced settings in NovelAI are appreciated but found to be somewhat confusing, with a need for clearer documentation.

NovelAI offers a free trial, but the full feature set requires a $25 monthly subscription.

The user suggests trying NovelAI for a month and then taking a break, resuming when new features are released.

NovelAI's language models and modules can help create unique and interesting stories, and building your own model is a valuable feature.

Despite some confusing settings, NovelAI has a user-friendly interface and is not overly difficult to learn.

The user recommends giving NovelAI a try, noting its potential value despite the steep price.