With structured output, the model is forced to format its answer exactly according to a predefined schema, for example as a valid JSON object with defined fields. This is crucial when the output is processed directly by software, without fragile parsing of free text. Many models offer a JSON mode or schema validation for this. Structured outputs are closely related to function calling and form the backbone of reliable AI integrations.
Structured Output
Structured output means an AI model returns its answer in a fixed, machine-readable format such as JSON. This makes the results reliably processable downstream.