- Problem
- A Siri that reads your messages was delayed over reliability.
- Approach
- Answer with receipts, and ask before acting.
- Status
- Concept. Judged by corrections and undo after actions.
The problem
Apple showed a Siri that could answer from your mail and messages, then said it would take longer.
It was shown at WWDC 2024 and delayed in March 2025, with reporting pointing to answers that weren’t reliable enough once personal data was involved. At WWDC 2026 Apple introduced it again as Siri AI, launching in beta. This concept comes from the year in between.
“It’s going to take us longer than we thought.”Apple, on the personal Siri features, March 2025
What I learned
- 01
When an answer comes from your own data, a wrong one feels like a breach of trust, not a glitch.
- 02
Personal questions are often ambiguous: two flights, two people called Mom, an old thread.
- 03
Acting is riskier than answering. A wrong text sent is worse than a wrong fact shown.
Explorations
v1
Just answer.
Fast, but a wrong answer looks exactly like a right one.
SoPeople need a way to check.
v2
Show the reasoning step by step.
Too much to read while walking to the car. It explains the model, not the answer.
SoShow sources, not steps.
v3
Compact receipts, and a question when unsure.
The answer, the two or three items it came from and how fresh they are. Checkable in a glance, and ambiguity becomes a quick choice instead of a guess.
SoThe direction I’d take forward.
Trade-offs
Risks
Sources on screen can expose private messages to people nearby, so receipts stay collapsed on the Lock Screen and in CarPlay. More questions can feel slower, so the bar for asking has to be tuned carefully.
What it adds to the system
A receipt component any app can return to Siri: the answer, its sources with app icons, how fresh they are, and an undo for anything it did.
How I’d measure it
- “That’s wrong” follow-upsCorrections right after an answer. Should fall.
- Undo after actionsHow often a sent message or change is reverted.
- Source tapsHow often people check, by type of question.
Looking back
With personal AI, trust is the feature. Now that Siri AI is launching in beta, being checkable matters more than being fast.