"Structured Outputs" - "A new feature in OpenAI API ensuring model outputs strictly follow a provided JSON Schema."

## Primary Purpose of Structured Outputs The primary purpose of Structured Outputs in OpenAI API is to ensure that model outputs strictly follow a developer-provided JSON Schema. This is particularly useful for tasks that require precise data formats, such as data entry, information retrieval, and multi-step workflows. ## APIs Associated with Structured Outputs Structured Outputs is primarily associated with the Chat Completions API and Assistants API in OpenAI. ## Techniques for Ensuring Adherence to JSON Schema Structured Outputs uses techniques like constrained sampling and constrained decoding to dynamically constrain the model's output, ensuring that only tokens that conform to the JSON Schema are allowed. ## Activating API Structured Outputs Developers can enable Structured Outputs in their API calls by setting `strict: true` and defining the `response format` or `function definitions`. They also need to use models optimized for structured outputs, such as `gpt-4o-2024-08-06`. ## Key Features of Structured Outputs Key features of Structured Outputs include ensuring output matches the JSON Schema, using constrained decoding to dynamically constrain output, supporting Pydantic for schema definition in Python, and ensuring compatibility with function calling by setting `strict: true`. ## Benefits of Structured Outputs in Production In production environments, Structured Outputs can reduce the need for retries and prompts, thereby lowering costs and latency. It also ensures consistent output formats, which can significantly reduce post-processing efforts. ## Limitations of Structured Outputs Some limitations of Structured Outputs include supporting only a subset of JSON Schema, not allowing the root object to be of type `anyOf`, and requiring all fields or function parameters to be `required` with no optional keys. Additionally, it requires familiarity with Pydantic and JSON Schema, which may pose a learning curve for new developers. ### Citation sources: - ["Structured Outputs"]("https://cookbook.openai.com/examples/structured_outputs_intro") - Official URL Updated: 2025-03-26