Extract from Maura R. Grossman, Gordon V. Cormack, Jason R. Baron’s article “Does the LLMperor Have New Clothes? Some Thoughts on the Use of LLMs in eDiscovery”
As Hans Christian Andersen’s parable goes1, an emperor was—above all else—obsessed with showing off his new clothes. Approached by a pair of swindlers, who purported to be weavers of the most magnificent and uncommonly fine fabrics, he was convinced by them that their cloth had the magical quality of being invisible to anyone who was either unfit for office or unusually stupid. Thinking that such an outfit would be just the thing for him to tell wise men from fools, the emperor commissioned the weavers—for a handsome sum—to fashion him an outfit forthwith.
Eager to hear news on the progress of his new costume, the emperor dispatched his most-trusted advisors to see how things were going. While neither was able to see anything on the weavers’ empty looms, both returned to report on the unparalleled beauty of the cloth, describing—as the swindlers had done for them—the gorgeous colors and intricate patterns of the woven fabrics. Finally, attended by a retinue of his most ardent followers, the emperor went to try on his new clothes. “Magnificent!” “What beautiful colors!” “What a fabulous design!” they decried, pointing to the empty hangers. “It has my highest approval” proclaimed the emperor, assuming he could not see what the others could, but unwilling to admit it.
