JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

More clinicians and researchers are exploring uses for large language model chatbots such as ChatGPT for research, dissemination and educational purposes. Therefore, it becomes increasingly relevant to consider the full potential of this tool, including the special features that are currently available via the Application Programming Interface (API). One of these features is a variable called temperature, which changes the degree to which randomness is involved in the model’s generated output. This is of particular interest to clinicians and researchers. By lowering this variable, one can generate more consistent, deterministic outputs; by increasing it, one can receive more creative responses. For clinicians and researchers who are exploring using these tools for a variety of tasks, the ability to tailor outputs to be less creative may be beneficial for work that demands consistency. Additionally, access to more creative text generation may enable scientific authors to describe their research in more general language and potentially connect with a broader public via social media. In this short Comment, we present the temperature, discuss potential uses, and provide some examples.