You set temperature to 0 and send the same prompt twice, and the outputs differ. Why, and when does it matter?

Temperature 0 does not mean deterministic, and the reason is in the GPU kernels, not the sampler. The signal is naming the batch-invariance problem and knowing which fixes are real versus placebo.

Updated Aug 2026 · Grounded in real Applied AI Engineer interview loops and written to a senior-engineer editorial bar.

Temperature 0 does not mean deterministic, and the reason is in the GPU kernels, not the sampler. The signal is naming the batch-invariance problem and knowing which fixes are real versus placebo.

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These lessons teach the material this question tests, in order and from the beginning.

Applied AI Engineering·How language models work, enough to build onFree12mWhy the same prompt gives a different answer twiceRandomness in a model is a setting, not a mystery, and knowing which knob does what is the difference between a feature that behaves and one that surprises you in production. This lesson also covers why turning it all the way down still does not give you exact repeatability.

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