Apple instructs Siri AI to decline URL summarization requests
▼ Summary
– iOS 27 developer beta 2 includes a new system prompt rule stating Siri AI cannot access content behind a URL.
– When asked to summarize, read, or extract information from a URL, Siri AI must inform the user it cannot access web pages.
– Siri AI is prohibited from offering follow-up suggestions or workarounds to circumvent the URL limitation.
– The rule may aim to prevent Siri AI from pulling and summarizing website content without directing users to original pages.
– Safari still offers Apple Intelligence-powered summaries, but only when the user is viewing the webpage itself.
A newly discovered directive embedded within Siri AI’s system prompt in iOS 27 beta 2 explicitly prohibits the assistant from extracting or summarizing content located behind a URL. The update clarifies how Apple’s voice assistant should respond when faced with such requests.
Siri AI is now barred from accessing content behind URLs. Apple released iOS 27 developer beta 2 earlier this week, alongside updates for the broader OS 27 cycle. Among the most visible changes were a new Insights feature in Apple Wallet, a “Write with Siri” suggestion appearing on the iOS and iPadOS keyboard, and the ability to remotely update an Apple TV 4K from the Apple Home app.
But the update also includes several under-the-hood modifications. One of the most significant clarifies exactly how Siri AI must handle requests that involve accessing content behind a URL. A new section in Siri AI’s system prompt now states:
> “You cannot access content behind a URL: When a user provides a URL and asks you to summarize, read, or extract information from it, inform them that you cannot access web pages. Do not offer follow-up suggestions or workarounds.”
While Siri AI was previously unable to access URLs to extract content, the new directive instructs it to clearly state its inability to fulfill such requests. It also forbids the assistant from assisting users who attempt to circumvent the limitation.
Apple has not publicly explained the reasoning behind this rule. However, the move may be intended to prevent Siri AI from following the path of other AI chatbots that pull and summarize website content without sending users to the original pages. That practice has drawn criticism for potentially making the web less sustainable over time by reducing traffic to publishers’ sites.
Currently, Safari offers Apple Intelligence-powered summaries, but the feature is only available when the user is actively viewing the webpage itself.
For a comprehensive look at more than 200 changes included in the iOS 27 beta, 9to5Mac has published a full roundup.
(Source: 9to5Mac)
