Large Language Models

Abstract

This chapter explores the application of large language models (LLMs) in empirical legal studies, with a focus on their potential to advance research on EU law at scale. The chapter provides a non-technical introduction to LLMs and the role they can play in legal information retrieval, including the classification of case characteristics and outcomes, which constitutes one of the most common research tasks in legal scholarship. The chapter stresses the importance of validation - researchers cannot treat the output of LLMs as automatically correct and instead must demonstrate the relevance and reliability of measures and results obtained through the use of LLMs in the context of their research topic. While LLMs are capable of significantly reducing the cost of doing legal research, their use will place growing demands on scholars to ensure the integrity of their findings. The chapter also reflects on the distinction between closed- and open-source models and how ethical and replicability imperatives might influence model choices in an increasingly crowded field.