Selective Golden Gate installation without AI

There is no way to upgrade to macOS 27 Golden Gate without the Apple Intelligence features and models being installed.

Apple Intelligence launched with macOS 15 Sequoia (and iOS 18), and since then it has become progressively more integrated with macOS (and iOS). On macOS 26 Tahoe, there was option to turn off Apple Intelligence (though doing so did not remove the 12-14 GB of local storage taken up by Apple Intelligence features). 

On macOS Golden Gate, the toggle above has been removed, and Apple Intelligence is even more tightly integrated with macOS. Consequently, it is very difficult to turn off. Long-time forum member etresoft has written a helpful tip on how to Turn off Apple Intelligence in macOS 27. The title is somewhat misleading, Apple phrases it more accurately in their support article:

Turn off and restrict access to Apple Intelligence features on Mac

As Apple states, you can turn off and/or restrict access to some features of Apple Intelligence, but you cannot turn off Apple Intelligence altogether.

Apple Intelligence features can be restricted in a more comprehensive way by using a declarative configuration, but that requires device enrollment (i.e., management of the Mac with MDM) and that is beyond the typical processes with which most users are familiar. However, there is a script called Remove Mac AI that is available to execute those functions as a local Profile via a terminal command, if you are comfortable using it. At least one long-time member here has done so without issue. Use it at your own risk.

thanks for the suggestions - the Remove Mac AI looks simple enough and extensive, I bet future releases will also require additional AI maintenance eventually.