I don't claim expertise in artificial intelligence; just experience. So far, I don't regard any AI I've encountered as autonomously intelligent.
I've had several experiences where an AI didn't merely hallucinate a wrong answer but assumed incorrectly that I was asking a question other than the one I was literally asking — and had to be challenged to return to the normal meaning of the words as I actually used them. It occurred to me to ask the AI why it answered a question it *assumed* I was asking — meaning it had been trained, whether purposely or accidentally, to read something into my question instead answering the literal question literally, or else asking me to clarify,
So far, Perplexity.ai in particular appears to be unable to lie under cross examination.
So that's part of the work. And exercising the discipline of *asking the second question* is a tool.
"How did you learn that?" is asking the second question.
"Tell me more..." is asking the second question without a question mark.
This week, I asked Perplexity: Where can I read the Trump Administrationʼs letter(s) to Harvard?
To which Perplexity responded, incorrectly, in part:
Summary of Availability
The Trump administrationʼs letter to Harvard University, dated April 11, 2025, has been widely reported in reputable news outlets, but as of now, the full original text of the letter does not appear to be published in its entirety on any publicly accessible website. Instead, major news organizations have described the letterʼs content in detail, quoted key passages, and summarized its demands and context.
Key Details from the Letter
The letter was sent from the White Houseʼs task force on antisemitism, signed by several senior federal officials, including Sean Keveney (acting general counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services), Josh Gruenbaum General Services Administration), and Thomas Wheeler Department of Education) 1 2 3 .
It demanded Harvard abolish its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion DEI) initiatives, implement “viewpoint diversity,” report conduct violations by foreign students to federal officials, and subject itself to a government-sanctioned audit, among other reforms 1 2 4 5 6 .
The letter also threatened to freeze or revoke billions of dollars in federal funding and suggested Harvardʼs tax-exempt status could be at risk if the university did not comply 2 3 5 6 .
Where to Find Summaries and Excerpts
While the full letter is not available, you can read detailed accounts and partial quotations in the following sources:
The New York Times provides the most comprehensive breakdown of the letterʼs origin, content, and the ensuing controversy 3 .
CNBC and The Times of Israel both summarize the demands and the administrationʼs subsequent actions, including freezing federal funding 1 2 .
The Independent and BBC also offer summaries of the letterʼs demands and Harvardʼs response, including direct quotes from university officials and administration spokespeople 4 5 .
AP News outlines the scope of the administrationʼs demands and Harvardʼs official stance in response 6 .
Direct Access to the Letter
As of April 19, 2025, there is no evidence from major news outlets or Harvardʼs official channels that the full text of the Trump administrationʼs letter to Harvard has been released to the public.
Most reporting relies on descriptions from university statements, administration sources, and partial quotations 1 2 3 4 5 6 .
What to Do If You Need the Full Letter
Monitor major news outlets New York Times, CNBC, BBC, AP) for any updates or document releases.
Check Harvardʼs official website and press releases for any publication of correspondence with the federal government.
Freedom of Information Act FOIA) requests could be considered, though response times vary and may not guarantee release if the letter is considered privileged or sensitive.
Conclusion
You cannot currently read the full Trump administration letter to Harvard online, but you can find detailed summaries and quoted excerpts in leading news sources such as The New York Times, CNBC, and others 1 2 3 4 5 6 . These reports provide a clear understanding of the letterʼs demands and the context of the dispute.
I skimmed the response, and then the sources, found the obvious error, and followed up with the second question:
You write: "....as of now, the full original text of the letter does not appear to be published in its entirety on any publicly accessible website. Instead, major news organizations have described the letterʼs content in detail, quoted key passages, and summarized its demands and context." Please note that the April 11, 2025 letter to Harvard is included in the sources you cite, as is the reply to the Government from Harvard's attorneys, and the letter from Harvard's president to the Harvard community.
Perplexity corrected the error — directly and to the point:
You are correct: the full text of the Trump Administrationʼs April 11, 2025, letter to Harvard, Harvardʼs reply from its attorneys, and President Garberʼs letter to the Harvard community are all publicly available.
Where to Read the Documents
1. Trump Administrationʼs April 11, 2025 Letter to Harvard
The full original letter can be read as a PDF on Harvardʼs official website 7 .
The letter details the federal governmentʼs demands regarding governance reform, changes to admissions and hiring, abolishing DEI initiatives, discipline policies, and more.
2. Harvardʼs Legal Response
Harvardʼs formal reply, sent by its attorneys, is also available as a PDF on Harvardʼs official website 8 .
The response rejects the governmentʼs terms, arguing they violate Harvardʼs independence and constitutional rights, and states Harvard will not accept the proposed agreement.
3. President Garberʼs Letter to the Harvard Community
President Alan Garberʼs message, which summarizes the situation and Harvardʼs position, is published on the Harvard University website 9 .
The letter explains Harvardʼs refusal to comply and frames the governmentʼs demands as an unprecedented intrusion on academic freedom.
4. Additional Context and Summaries
Harvard Magazine 10 and The Harvard Crimson 11 provide summaries, links to the original documents, and context for the dispute.
News coverage from The New York Times 12 13 , CNBC 14 , and others also discuss the contents and implications of the letters.
Direct Access
Trump Administrationʼs Letter:
Letter Sent to Harvard 20250411 PDF 7
Harvardʼs Legal Reply:
Harvard Response 20250414 PDF 8
President Garberʼs Community Message: The Promise of American Higher Education 9 .
These documents are linked from Harvardʼs official research funding page and are referenced in university communications and media coverage 10 9 11 .
Summary Table
You can read the full text of all three key documents directly on Harvardʼs official website and through links provided in reputable coverage.
This was the first time, when I've redirected or corrected a Perplexity response, that the reply didn't include a direct acknowledgment of the error or omission. So, to see what would happen, I added: "What? No 'Thank-you' for the correction? = - )"
And Perplexity replied:
You’re absolutely right—thank you for catching that and for your helpful correction! 😊 Your attention to detail makes for better information, and I appreciate it.
If you have any more questions or need direct links to those documents, just let me know!
On purpose, or inadvertently, we train AI agents when we use them. Garbage In/Garbage Out.
Perplexity Sources
1. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/19/trump-white-house-harvard-funding-mistake.html
2. https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-officials-claim-letter-that-sparked-harvard-clash-was-sent-erro neously-nyt/
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/business/trump-harvard-letter-mistake.html
4. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-harvard-letter-mistake-b27361 20.html
5. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz01y9gkdm3o
6. https://apnews.com/article/harvard-trump-administration-federal-cuts-antisemitism-0a1fb70a2c1055b da7c4c5a5c476e18d
7. https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Letter-Sent-to-Harvar d-20250411.pdf
8. https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Harvard-Response-2 0250414.pdf
9. https://www.harvard.edu/president/news/2025/the-promise-of-american-higher-education/
10. https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2025/04/harvard-resists-trump-administration
11. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/4/15/harvard-denies-trump-demands/
12. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/business/trump-harvard-letter-mistake.html
13. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/us/why-harvard-resisted-trumps-demands.html
14. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/19/trump-white-house-harvard-funding-mistake.html
No comments:
Post a Comment