Understanding LLM Ladder

The stage progression framework for entity authority in AI systems: Absent (insufficient parametric evidence for citation), Doubt (present but hedged citation, CPQ below CPQ threshold), Displaced (a competitor is cited in the entity's place), Cited (unhedged authority citation, CPQ above CPQ threshold), and Defended (Cited state with adversarial robustness). Each stage requires a distinct remediation program – the interventions that raise an entity from Absent to Doubt differ structurally from those that raise it from Doubt to Cited and Cited to Defended.