Decoder. plain-English AI glossary

Structured output

● Core

Forcing a model to output data in a specific format — JSON, XML, or a validated schema — instead of free-form text.

Think of it like

Like asking for a form filled out neatly instead of a rambling paragraph.

Example

Prompt: "Return a JSON object with keys name, age, email." The model outputs `{"name": "Alice", "age": 30, "email": "..."}` guaranteed.

How it actually works

Some APIs support constrained generation or JSON mode that hard-limits token choices to valid JSON sequences. Others use parsing + regeneration: generate text, parse it, if invalid ask again. Quality and speed matter — true schema enforcement is faster and more reliable than post-hoc parsing.

For product teams

Unblocks downstream automation: once output is JSON, it's machine-readable, no brittleness.

For engineers

Use model API's JSON mode if available (faster, guaranteed valid). Else: prompt clearly, add error handling, regenerate invalid outputs.

JSON mode — JSON mode is one implementation of structured output.

Read anything AI without the jargon

Look up any term in plain English, or save terms as you read with the free Chrome extension.

Open Decoder Add to Chrome