Glossary
Prompt Volatility
Prompt volatility is the degree to which an AI engine’s response changes when the same prompt is repeated over time or across sessions. It reflects probabilistic generation, changing retrieval results and model updates, so one answer should never be treated as a stable measurement.
In plain terms
The same question can produce different answers. Volatility measures how much those answers move.
Why it matters
High volatility can create false wins or losses unless prompts are sampled repeatedly and reported with context.
How to apply it
- Run important prompts more than once.
- Record engine, model, date, location and settings.
- Separate durable movement from one-run variation.
Example
A vendor appears in three of ten repeated answers, not in the other seven; reporting one favorable screenshot would hide that instability.
Sources
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