JSON

JSON is how systems hand each other data. It arranges information as named fields with values, in a form that is both human-readable and machine-precise, which is why almost every API speaks it. When one tool sends data to another, it is usually JSON going across the wire.

For automation it matters because structured data is dependable data. Asking an AI to return JSON, and then checking it fits the expected shape, is how you turn a free-text answer into something a workflow can act on without guessing.