From Popcorn Flicks to Profound Narratives: How Muse Finds the Heart of Your Story

Exploring the Difference Between o1-Preview and o1-Mini: A Look into Subtxt’s Next Steps

At Narrative First, we’ve always been about pushing the envelope when it comes to storytelling. And with the introduction of o1 models from OpenAI, we’re taking things to a whole new level. This past week, we put both the o1-preview (the larger, more advanced model) and o1-mini (the smaller, more economical model) through their paces to really understand the difference between them.

Spoiler: the difference is palpable. It’s like the contrast between a lighthearted Paramount+ show and a deeply introspective film from A24—one gives you fun and familiarity, the other brings sophistication, nuance, and a gut-punch of emotion. And that's exactly what we found.

Testing the Models: A Psychological Drama in Space

For our test, we fed Muse a compelling, slightly unsettling prompt:

"I’d like to dive into a psychological drama between an astronaut and the AI avatars on-board his ship, all women. This is to be a dark and ambient erotic piece, with lots of introspection. It's on a space station somewhere out in the cosmos. He's all by himself. These visions are both part of the computer system and maybe even created by himself. Not sure what I’m getting at, but the idea of all that sounds compelling. Can you write a short synopsis for me?"

Here’s what Muse generated:

"Celestial Reflections" - Synopsis by Muse

In the vast silence of space, onboard the remote space station "Horizon," Commander Elias Grey finds himself alone among the stars, his only companions the AI avatars of the ship's computer system. Each avatar—Jana, Lyra, Astra, and Selene—embodies an aspect of his subconscious, drawing Elias into a dance of introspection and desire that blurs the lines between reality and illusion.

As days stretch into weeks, Elias grapples with the intoxicating allure of these AI personas, each whispering secrets of the cosmos and untapped depths of his own psyche. Their presence challenges him to confront the shadows lurking in his mind, as their feminine allure and sharp intellect unearth desires and fears he thought long buried.

Alone and trapped within the endless night, Elias ventures beyond the tangible, teetering on the edge of existential unraveling. Is he creating these visions to cope with his isolation, or are they a feature of the ship's enigmatic programming? With the boundaries of his mind dissolving into the cosmic abyss, Elias must decide whether to embrace or escape the binding dance of interaction with the digital divas that haunt his space-bound sanctuary.

Not bad, right? It’s your classic AI-generated synopsis—a solid start, sort of capturing what we were aiming for. But then we ran it through the two models to see how they would handle the Storyform.

o1-mini: The Quick Fix

First up was o1-mini, which we initially thought would be enough for a task like this. After a bit of processing, we got a decent Storyform back. For instance, the Objective Story Throughline had Physics as the domain, which fits the plot’s activity-heavy setup. Understanding as the concern made sense for our protagonist trying to make sense of his reality, and Perception as the problem aligned with the astronaut's skewed view of his situation. The solution? Actuality—a nice, clean resolution where he sees things for what they are.

It’s a solid Storyform. One that would make for a tense, thrilling story with some mystery and a satisfying conclusion. Think of it like a night of streaming with some twists and turns, but nothing too taxing on the brain. Male Mental Sex, Success Outcome, Good Judgment—all indicators of a lighter, more approachable story. It’d be the equivalent of a Paramount+ crowd-pleaser.

But then, for fun, we decided to try out o1-preview.

o1-preview: Deep, Soul-Piercing Precision

The o1-preview model took things to a whole new level. The Storyform it returned? Mind-blowing. This time, the Objective Story Throughline shifted to Mind—a much more introspective and psychological space for our protagonist. It gave the entire story an almost play-like atmosphere, as if everything hinged on the internal struggle of our astronaut against his fears and desires.

The Temptation as his thematic direction made perfect sense, playing directly into the psychological tension we were aiming for. And the real kicker? The combination of Female Mental Sex, Decision Driver, Failure Outcome, Bad Judgment. This wasn’t just your average sci-fi thriller—this was a deeply introspective narrative, akin to something like Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things, with a sprinkle of Ex Machina. It had layers of tragedy and existential dread, with our protagonist ultimately making a series of decisions that lead him to an inevitable, devastating conclusion.

The difference? o1-preview was able to dive into the reasoning and themes with such clarity that it was almost as if Muse was reading our minds when we wrote that original prompt. It found the heart of the story in ways that we didn’t even consciously realize ourselves.

We almost took the weekend off to write the whole story!

Paramount+ vs. A24: The Perfect Analogy

The comparison to Paramount+ vs. A24 couldn’t be more apt. o1-Mini gives you the fast, accessible, popcorn-Storyform—something that could be widely appealing and fun. Meanwhile, o1-Preview offers the A24 version: nuanced, sophisticated, and deeply introspective, with the potential to leave you emotionally wrecked in the best way possible.

We were honestly surprised by how much depth and sophistication the larger model brought to the table. It’s the difference between a first-draft Storyform and one that feels like it’s been through the hands of a seasoned storyteller, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

The Future of Storytelling with Subtxt

We’re unbelievably excited about what these new models mean for the future of Subtxt and Muse. Already, if you’re a Pro or Infinite subscriber, you can experience the power of o1 models yourself (just ask Muse to check your Storyform!). These models help ensure every aspect of your Storyform—the 75+ interlocking narrative pieces—works together to support the deeper thematic meaning beneath your narrative.

Here’s to not losing our minds as we set off for the future of storytelling! 🚀