Definition · foundations
chain of thought
chain of thought is the term for Text or tokens a model produces as steps before an answer. They may not show its true internal reasoning. You can spot chain of thought in practice when the record shows what the system observes, what choice it makes, and what changes next, without asking the reader to guess or trust a slogan.
157 definitions656 sourced recordsNamed source: ACL Anthology
Why does chain of thought matter?
Shown steps can help with debug work. Still, smooth text may not show how the model reached its answer. For chain of thought, start with three checks: What can the system observe? What choice can it make? What changes after it acts? The answers should point to visible evidence, not a promise.
What does chain of thought look like?
A model prints math steps before a total. The test checks the total on its own. This example makes chain of thought visible by naming the actor, the action, and the result in practice. It is an illustration for readers, not a claim that every product behaves this way.
What is chain of thought easy to confuse with?
Chain-of-thought is generated step text. A trajectory logs states, actions, inputs, and outputs from a run. The closest entries here are capability discovery, circuit breaker, large language model (LLM). Compare their definitions with chain of thought before using the names as if they mean the same thing.
How certain is this definition?
This definition is provisional. ACL Anthology supports the version you see today, but a better or more direct source may change it. Open the cited page and check its date before you use this entry to choose a product, write a policy, set a safety control, or design a system.
Who introduced the term chain of thought?
We have not verified who first introduced chain of thought. The source supports a useful definition, but it may not be the earliest use. Until a dated primary record settles the question, we leave the origin open. A popular article or product page is not enough to name the person who coined a term.
What should you understand before chain of thought?
Read artificial intelligence (AI) first when chain of thought depends on a more basic idea or mechanism. The link gives you a useful route through the glossary. It does not mean every author teaches the subject in this order, so follow the source when the sequence matters.
What should this term help you answer?
Use chain of thought to ask what an agent can observe, decide, change, remember, or hand off. The questions below turn the definition into a practical check. They are prompts for your own work, not claims made by the source, so change them to fit the system you are examining.
- What can the system observe?
- What choice can it make?
- What changes after it acts?
Which source supports this definition of chain of thought?
ACL Anthology supports this working definition of chain of thought. We checked the link on 2026-07-12. Open the original record for its context, methods, limits, and publication details. The short explanation here is a guide to chain of thought; the linked source remains the evidence to inspect when the wording or boundary matters.
source foundchain of thoughtChecked 2026-07-12→