Letters to the Editor | Oct. 20, 2026
Inquirer readers on the Cornell University case and the need to exercise caution when law enforcement uses AI tools.
Campus culture
As a student who will apply to college in a year, I think the Cornell University allegations are a stark reminder of how our early adult years can go horribly wrong. Protests against sexual abuse have become a source of unity and solidarity for women across the country. While I haven’t heard many stories like theirs before — unless it was something having to do with the Epstein files or a celebrity — I am encouraged to see this topic in the spotlight. Friends, neighbors, and family members of mine could be Jane Doe, too. We need to acknowledge this issue so that campus cultures can be safer and healthier. Everyone needs to ask for consent and not take advantage of someone just because they can, or because other people are doing so.
Thomas Ehri, Philadelphia
Convenient criticism
I find it a little too convenient for some politicians (I’m looking at you, Republicans) to all of a sudden distance themselves from President Donald Trump. Since the start of his second term, the president has been doing things that have had a good portion of the country shaking its head with disbelief and disdain. The recent deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin over diesel sales is an abomination. It just goes to show that Trump values a U.S. adversary more than some of our centuries-old allies. Now that it’s election time, some members of the GOP are finally finding the guts that they had conveniently left at home when Donald Trump decided to say or do something that tramples the Constitution or embarrasses us on the world stage.
A spine is a terrible thing to waste.
Vincent Hughes, Middletown, Del.
Questionable calls
Anthropic’s admission that one of its AI models submitted a false tip to Philadelphia police about an unsolved homicide should alarm every person in this city, especially as law enforcement considers embedding AI into 911 calls and while the data centers powering these tools loom over our neighborhoods.
The tip was flagged as spam this time, but as a lawyer advocating for criminal justice reform, I’ve seen firsthand how quickly peoples’ lives are upended when police act on bad information. Had the tip named a suspect and bypassed spam filters, an innocent person could have faced questioning, intimidation, or worse over a false allegation.
The bottom line is that a Big Tech company’s experiment reached a real homicide investigation, and real people could have gotten hurt. We cannot be guinea pigs for Big Tech.
Philadelphia needs the time and authority to decide whether, and how, AI infrastructure expands here. A data center moratorium would give City Council both. And come budget time, Council should prioritize investments in good jobs, schools, libraries, and public safety resources over AI tech to replace human 911 operators or expand police surveillance.
Nikki Grant, co-executive director, Amistad Law Project
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About letters to the editor
Letters feature a reader’s written opinion and are submitted in response to an article in The Inquirer or another topical issue. Submissions should be sent to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include the writer’s home address and day and evening phone number. Letters are published in the Inquirer six days a week on the print opinion pages and online.
