What is structured output — CCA-F Exam Prep

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L1.15|What is structured output
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Real story
A hospital intake system screen showing an error. On one side, the AI's response in natural language: 'The patient appears to have mild hypertension.' On the other side, a crashed JSON parser with a red error. 200 patient records with a red X. Clinical, sterile lighting.

An AI-powered medical intake system asked patients about symptoms.

The AI responded in natural language: "The patient appears to have mild hypertension." Readable. Clear. Completely useless.

The downstream system expected JSON: {"condition": "hypertension", "severity": "mild"}. It got a paragraph. It crashed.

200 patient records lost. Not because the AI was wrong. Because the output wasn't structured.