Temperature
A parameter that controls how random or deterministic an AI's responses are (0 = deterministic, 1+ = very random).
Temperature controls the model's "creativity" or randomness. Low temperatures (0.0–0.3) make the model more predictable and focused—useful for factual tasks like code generation or data extraction. High temperatures (0.7–1.0+) make the model more creative and unpredictable—useful for brainstorming or creative writing.
At temperature 0, the model always picks the single most likely next token. As temperature increases, the model starts picking less probable tokens with increasing likelihood. Very high temperatures (>1.5) can produce nonsensical output.
Think of temperature as tuning between a careful accountant (low temp) and a rambling creative (high temp). Most conversational uses sit around 0.7; analytical tasks prefer 0.1–0.3.
Example
Prompt: "Complete: The sky is blue because..." — At temp 0, always the same technical explanation. At temp 0.9, vastly different poetic responses each time.