A Protocol-Fixed Information-Theoretic Reporting Framework for Evidence-Weak Hallucination in Large Language Models Authors

TMLR Paper8771 Authors

Abstract:

This paper introduces a protocol-fixed information-theoretic reporting framework for evidence-weak hallucination comparisons in large language models (LLMs). The framework uses sequence-level information energy, variational free energy, KL decomposition, and coarse-graining-induced information loss to define a closed reporting object for controlled evidence-weakness comparisons. Its contribution is the protocol-fixed closure of that object, rather than a new free-energy identity, KL theorem, or scalar hallucination score. Within a declared protocol block, it fixes the admissibility conditions for the comparison coordinates (Delta E, T_eff, c0), the apply/not-apply gate, the relative identifiability convention, and a mechanically auditable artifact interface. The completed evidential anchor is a fully observable synthetic toy implementation showing that the declared comparison object can be instantiated, logged, filtered, aggregated, and assigned an explicit status under controlled evidence weakening. The result is a bounded reporting framework for auditable, comparable, and explicitly stoppable evidence-weakness comparisons under a declared protocol. It is a reporting framework rather than a deployment-time detector, mitigation method, protocol-free law, or completed real-LLM validation study.

Keywords
large language models, hallucination, information theory, variational free energy, protocol-fixed evaluation, uncertainty, auditability

Submission Type: Regular submission (no more than 12 pages of main content)

Changes Since Last Submission: Not applicable. This is the first TMLR submission of this manuscript. There is no previous TMLR submission URL and no prior TMLR decision to respond to. The current submission is presented as the initial TMLR version.

Assigned Action Editor: ~Polina_Kirichenko1

Submission Number: 8771