A Resolved Promise Is Not a Correct Answer

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0100

The following code has only one definition of success:

try {
  const output = await session.prompt(input);
  show(output);
} catch (error) {
  showFailure(error);
}

If the promise resolves, the interface displays the result.

That is sufficient for a deterministic lookup whose return value is authoritative. It is not sufficient for a probabilistic system that can return fluent, well-formed and incorrect text.

A resolved promise proves that an operation completed according to the runtime contract. It does not prove that the feature did its job.

Structured Output Is Still Model Output

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:45:00 +0100

JSON feels safer than prose because software can parse it.

That is a real advantage. It is not a guarantee that the values are correct, permitted or useful.

A model can produce perfectly valid JSON containing a nonexistent file, an unsupported operation, a reversed date range or an action the user never authorized.

Structured output is still model output.

1. Structure removes one class of ambiguity

Suppose we ask a model to choose a fixture and repetition count. Prose might return:

Validation on Programmer.ie: Modern AI programming

A Resolved Promise Is Not a Correct Answer

Structured Output Is Still Model Output

1. Structure removes one class of ambiguity