For the past two decades, JSON has been the primary method for organizing information that computers share with each other. It's popular because people can read it easily, and almost every programming system knows how to work with it, especially when building apps that communicate online.
However, JSON wasn't designed with AI conversations in mind. It relies heavily on formatting characters like curly brackets, quotation marks, and colons to structure information. When you're chatting with an AI system, each of these extra characters gets counted and processed, which drives up both the time it takes to respond and the cost of running the system.
A More Efficient Alternative of JSON
TOON represents a fresh approach to organizing data specifically for AI interactions. Instead of wrapping everything in punctuation marks and symbols, it uses a streamlined layout similar to how you'd organize information in a basic table. This design choice dramatically reduces wasted space.
The practical benefits are clear: AI models can interpret the data more quickly, processing costs drop significantly, and there's no need to dedicate resources to handling redundant formatting symbols.
JSON vs TOON
Think of it this way: JSON is like sending a formally formatted business document with headers, footers, and elaborate styling. TOON is like jotting down key points on a notecard, both communicate the same information, but one does it with far less overhead, which matters greatly when working with AI systems that charge based on how much text they process.
Example with comparison
JSON
{ "users": [
{ "id": 1, "name": "Alice", "role": "admin" },
{ "id": 2, "name": "Bob", "role": "user" }
] }
TOON
users[2]{id,name,role}:
1,Alice,admin
2,Bob,user
When TOON Works Best
- Working directly with AI models and chatbot interfaces
- Token costs are impacting your project budget
- Speed matters, you need quicker AI responses
- Your information structure is simple and table-like
- Building AI applications where processing efficiency is critical
TOON Advantage: Since AI systems charge based on how much text they process, TOON's compact format without extra brackets and quotes means you get more functionality for less money. It's like choosing a direct flight instead of one with layovers, same destination, much more efficient journey.
When JSON Works Best
- Complex data structures with multiple nested levels (like folders within folders)
- Projects needing strict format validation rules
- Traditional applications where character count doesn't affect costs
Smart Strategy: Use JSON for standard APIs and web development. When working with language models or AI assistants, convert to TOON format, you'll see faster responses and lower costs from reduced token usage.