Definition
Plain language
How often a model gives an answer that no other model ever gave.
As stated in the literature
The fraction of a model's responses that are unique across the entire panel, used as a strong indicator of genuine divergence rather than crowd-following.
Why it matters: It flags genuine originality rather than mere variation, helping distinguish a model that truly thinks differently from one that just reshuffles common answers.
For example, if a model is the only one out of the whole panel to answer "marula" when naming a fruit, that response counts toward its novel rate.
Heard on the show
“Consider the novel rate — how often a model says something no other model ever said.”Episode 219 — Forty-Four AI Models, One Word, And The Newest Ones Conform Most