Core Concepts/temperature
Temperature
A setting that controls how random or creative an AI's responses are.
What it actually means
Temperature is a number — usually between 0 and 1 — that controls how predictable an AI's output is. At 0, the model always picks the most likely next word. At 1, it takes more risks and produces more varied, creative responses.
Real-world analogy
Think of it like a volume knob for creativity. Turn it down to 0 and the AI gives you the safest, most expected answer every time. Turn it up and it starts improvising — sometimes brilliantly, sometimes oddly.
Common misconception
Higher temperature doesn't mean smarter. It means less predictable. For tasks like summarising a document or writing code, low temperature is better. High temperature is only useful when you want variety or creativity.