Did Apple shutdown Apple Intelligence on MacOS 27? If so, GREAT!

If anything, Apple Intelligence is more a part of macOS 27 than ever before.

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.

You can also share your opinion with Apple:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

EasterltArt wrote:

There is also the concern of how this whole Apple Intelligence works with generative AI tech. As someone who works in entertainment and marketing, I need to be as protective of client work, as well as my own. Leaked info or having work scraped from my devices without explicit and direct consent on each piece feels like a form of theft by capitalism.

Exactly where has that been done on your computer. Apple Intelligence has addressed that in 2 ways not seen on any other platform, so clearly Apple have chosen a different path than other tech companies.

• On-Device processing
• Private Cloud Compute

Apple Intelligence and privacy on Mac - Apple Support

More information for you to review can be found here:

Legal - Apple Intelligence & Privacy- Apple

While your concern is your data being scraped from your computer, where is that even happening using Apple Intelligence on your Mac. Just a few bullet points from the above articles:

• In many cases, Apple Intelligence models run entirely on device so that a task can be completed without data leaving your device.
• For more complex requests that require more computational capacity, Apple Intelligence can use Private Cloud Compute, which extends the privacy and security of your Apple products into the cloud to unlock even more intelligence. Private Cloud Compute uses larger, server-based models. The data being processed in Private Cloud Compute is not stored or made accessible to Apple. It is processed only to fulfill your request, after which point the results are returned securely to your device and are not retained by Private Cloud Compute. And independent privacy and security researchers can verify this privacy promise at any time.
• With Private Cloud Compute, only the data that is relevant to your request is processed on Apple silicon servers, before being removed. The data being processed in Private Cloud Compute is not stored or made accessible to Apple.
• Apple Intelligence is designed to identify the data necessary to provide to a generative model in order to best assist you, without requiring access to or storage of the personal data by Apple.
• The data being processed in Private Cloud Compute is not stored or made accessible to Apple.
• When your request is processed on Private Cloud Compute or using Private Information Retrieval, Apple may collect limited information about the request, such as the approximate size of the request and response, which features are used for the request, and how long the request takes to complete. This data does not include any information about the content of your request or the returned result.

Compromise of your intellectual property goes far beyond anything provided by Apple Intelligence and is a problem when AI is not involved at all. Apple also provides a User Guide for protecting your data with safe practices for you to follow. Review that here:

Keep your work private and secure - Apple Support

Is your concern really with how Apple Intelligence is implemented, or how it is currently being used by other companies? I think we can all agree that our personal information is important to us and that there should be guardrails for AI and being that you feel the same way, you have chosen the right platform.

• Should your data be scraped from your computer and saved on a third party server? No and it is not done by Apple.
• Should you have to trust any company on how your personal information is handled? No and Apple allows third party audits to make sure they are doing exactly what they claim to protect your data.
• Should your requests be visible by the company performing the processing? No and it is not done by Apple.
• Should you be concerned about Meta's use of AI? Absolutely, they have already been sued and fined for failing to protect their users data and lying to them.
• Should you be concerned about Google's use of your data? I am, they were previously fined for reading their users Gmails even before AI. Data collection through your use of their services is their largest revenue generator.
• Should companies provide a Transparency Report for a user self audit? Yes and that is what Apple does.
• Would I install a third party AI model on my computer and use that service? No.

EasterltArt wrote:

So I'm curious, did Apple actually shutdown or scale back on their Apple Intelligence initiatives to focus on actually making solid improvements to macOS that actually helps people?

No, they did not. If you want to send Apple any feedback for making a solid improvement to help you, then that is done using the Feedback link. Others do it for improvements to help them, and right now it is AI that many want in a way where they don't give up their personal information and still keeping their device secure. That seems to be the initiative by Apple with Private Cloud Compute and guardrails on what can actually be done.

Feedback - macOS - Apple

Anyway, glad you are enjoying Golden Gate.

I have been using a 2019 MacBook Pro (Intel, 16") on the latest version of Tahoe. Most of the Apple Intelligence is not active on those systems because they lack the computing power to really execute it. And Tahoe is the latest macOS it can run.

I just obtained an M5 MacBook Air brand new, it is on Golden Gate 27.0.1. I have to say, I was expecting a lot of intrusive AI aspects but have not really noticed much at all. It's on there, but I don't notice it much at all. I see a way to invoke ChatGPT and other things, but having read some dramatic posts here from angry customers who want it gone, the computer seems unimpacted to me. This laptop has 1 TB internal SSD and plenty of free space, and I know some users were complaining about a few tens of GB being taken up for AI models, without a way for the user to clear out that space. For me, again, a non-issue.

More annoying to my wife was Microsoft's aggressive "co-pilot" trying to craft her Word documents for her. I found a way to turn that off in Word settings. But that was actually on an iMac running an OS older than Golden Gate, so it had to do with Microsoft and nothing to do with macOS.

EasterltArt wrote:

It definitely seems less pushed on the user

I have no idea what world you're living in. In macOS 27, Apple is physically pushing AI down our throats with absolutely no recourse or ability to turn it off. Perhaps you're mistaking all the marketing over the past couple of years and system settings with the fact that all the system settings have been removed in macOS 27. It isn't because they removed the AI, it's because they're forcing it on us and you can't turn it off anymore.

I've tried to track down what few settings are left and show how to turn them off, but it's not easy and it doesn't seem to work.

it does concern me as to how much Apple Intelligence is actively used on my computer without my knowledge knowing I have turned off as much of it as possible.

It's not possible to turn it off. My user tip that others have posted mainly turns off some of the in-your-face aspects and tries to limit how much personal data it scoops up. But I don't know of any way to turn off the low-level processing that it always running.

My hope is we get better laws in place to safeguard our digital property from predatory business practices.

Dream on!

Until that mandate is locked into law and companies like Apple are required to comply, my hope is that the people in charge of the company are aware and willing enough to do the right and ethical thing by not aiming their efforts in the same dystopian direction as other tech companies.

The powers that be have very carefully constructed your thoughts to make you think it's Apple doing this. I certainly agree with you that I don't want any AI on my Apple devices. But I'm also aware that Apple is the least AI-infused company out there right now.

Any legal action directed against Apple will most certainly be designed to open up Apple devices so that your personal AI-facilitiated data can be exported to government, surveillance agencies, marketing industries, and Apple's biggest competitors. Apple is trying to do a middle ground, giving people some AI locally, but keeping privacy barriers in place. Apple will fail.

Property theft is illegal.

It is not. It's simply reserved for people who are more powerful. You may not take their property, but they can take yours.

Copyright infringement is illegal.

It is not, unless the copyright is owned by a major corporation. There was a brief period where even individuals could invoke the DMCA and force corporations to obey the law. That's long gone. Modern law is simpler - might make right.

EasterltArt wrote:

This is why I would prefer it if macOS 27 did not have much of any AI tech involved on my computer. Unless users have explicitly expressed a desire for that to be the case, it would be better for Apple to focus on improving their products without dumping AI into everything. Thankfully it's not as bad as Google, but things could change.

With respect, your preferences are irrelevant. You own the Apple hardware, but Apple owns macOS and allows you to use it under the terms of the license agreement. If you would prefer macOS to be different, you have a binary choice...use macOS or don't use macOS.

More importantly, this is Apple Support Communities, not Apple Support. “We” are users like you and have no power to implement any suggestions. Apple employees are generally precluded from even reading these forums, with the exception of moderators who only monitor for compliance with the T&C.

To have Apple consider your feedback, submit it here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

I was looking into some of those helpful posts about how to turn off as much Apple Intelligence as possible, so I appreciate you sharing the links for that.

Still not a fan of so much AI in the Apple ecosystem, but it is good to see the Apple Community doing their part to help educate people on how to turn off as much of it as possible, especially for those who may be required by contracts and law to protect their intellectual property from theft, regardless of any Terms of Service or Privacy Policy.

I'll be sure to be providing daily feedback to Apple about not needing so much Apple Intelligence, and continued downgrades to focus on essential improvements instead of fluff that will go away more and more as the AI bubble continues to deflate.

I'll be sure to provide Apple daily feedback about pulling back on any Apple Intelligence initiatives moving forward in favor of genuine improvements to macOS so that people like myself can genuinely say again that we're enjoying our Apple products like my Macbook Pro.

Hopefully you were able to learn from that experience so that you don't need to rely on Siri AI too much.

If you ever need feedback or suggestions, might I recommend reaching out to writing communities online to help you out as to not fuel technologies that were built off stolen work by writers who are currently fighting in court against companies like Meta who have stolen their works.

Completely understand if you felt like that you needed a quick answer after just one hour of thinking, but trust yourself a little more in the future to problem solve without needing Siri to do your homework.

Good luck!

EasterltArt wrote:

Hopefully you were able to learn from that experience so that you don't need to rely on Siri AI too much.

Hopefully, you will learn from experience not to be so judgmental of the choices other people make for reasons of which you are unaware.

Also, what does Meta have to do with this?

Maybe you're unaware of how generative AI only works by stealing existing works with copyrights, whether text, images, video, audio, etc. so it can slop out results.

Property theft is illegal.

Copyright infringement is illegal.

You may see convenience to help solve a problem that you're unfamiliar with how to find the answer for, but it comes at the expense of people's livelihoods. Various tech companies have been taken to court over abusive Terms of Service and Privacy Policies like Meta, and Apple will likely face the same legal battles for any attempt to gather, collect, and use user data and files for developing their AI technologies, especially any LLMs or generative AI slop machines.

But let's not get it twisted. I'm all for things like spell checks and grammar suggestions. Those are great tools that have been around for a while now, and continued actual advancements in technology should be encouraged so long as they are done ethically and with explicit permissions from users and rights holders with appropriate compensation for the work's usage.

AI is a big issue these days, and people want better protections from the predatory business practices of tech companies.

This is why people like myself make a big deal out of companies like Apple NOT pushing their AI tech on people so aggressively. There are more pressing and important things that could be their focus, like changing their policies to be more friendly to right-to-repair, making sure that devices are easier to fix without needing to replace everything in the device as a means to sell someone a new product, or any other wide variety of things like not killing off 32-bit compatibility. I'm sure you probably could think of plenty.

AI also has been contributing towards real world harm. Just look how much damage has been happening because of data centers and the corruption it brings to communities that just want to live their best lives. Siri AI may not seem like a big issue, especially with just one little paragraph, but those add up over time and contribute towards a bigger issue.

Judgement was a given because I believe anyone who believe they "need" AI to do anything can do better. I believe in them to do better, and to use existing tools, resources, and services from dedicated communities or professionals to help, or at the very least learn from experience.

Apple can do better too.

It definitely seems less pushed on the user, but it does concern me as to how much Apple Intelligence is actively used on my computer without my knowledge knowing I have turned off as much of it as possible.

It would just simply be nice for Apple not to put too much emphasis on AI tech to help run our computers or devices because it may ultimately run the risk of that tech going beyond what it was meant for, and not in any good way. Having a "kill switch" or not even having these AI models on our computers and devices would be ideal.

There is also the concern of how this whole Apple Intelligence works with generative AI tech. As someone who works in entertainment and marketing, I need to be as protective of client work, as well as my own. Leaked info or having work scraped from my devices without explicit and direct consent on each piece feels like a form of theft by capitalism.

My hope is we get better laws in place to safeguard our digital property from predatory business practices.

Until that mandate is locked into law and companies like Apple are required to comply, my hope is that the people in charge of the company are aware and willing enough to do the right and ethical thing by not aiming their efforts in the same dystopian direction as other tech companies.

EasterltArt wrote:

Maybe you're unaware of how generative AI only works by stealing existing works with copyrights, whether text, images, video, audio, etc. so it can slop out results.

Gosh, but you do like to make assumptions about people, don't you? The fact that someone may disagree with you or make different choices doesn't mean they are less knowledgeable.

I know it's easy to fall into the trap of "If I just explain it to them hard enough, they will see that I am right!" It behooves you to consider that people may have different points of view on any given subject.

True, people may have a different perspective. Sam Altman certainly does in talking about how it's his role now to eliminate jobs and people's means of making a living for the sake of developing AI technologies similar to what you used with Siri AI.

Just a point of view, right? No problem with a struggling society so long as we can get new tech built from stolen works by people who likely never consented to this form of mass digital property theft.

I don't trust Apple as a company, despite the fact that I enjoy when their products are able to do genuinely amazing things, and most of that having nothing to do with AI. Though when AI as we know it today is being pushed by companies like Google, Adobe, and other companies along with OpenAI and friends, I do have major concerns, and that point of view is shared by most people these days.

This is why I would prefer it if macOS 27 did not have much of any AI tech involved on my computer. Unless users have explicitly expressed a desire for that to be the case, it would be better for Apple to focus on improving their products without dumping AI into everything. Thankfully it's not as bad as Google, but things could change.

neuroanatomist wrote:

With respect, your preferences are irrelevant. You own the Apple hardware, but Apple owns macOS and allows you to use it under the terms of the license agreement. If you would prefer macOS to be different, you have a binary choice...use macOS or don't use macOS.

More importantly, this is Apple Support Communities, not Apple Support. “We” are users like you and have no power to implement any suggestions. Apple employees are generally precluded from even reading these forums, with the exception of moderators who only monitor for compliance with the T&C.

Thank you.

Katana-San wrote:

Hello~ Respect??

That's one of the problems with the effective moderation on the Apple Support Community that is so rare elsewhere. One is liable to miss some earlier replies that were removed and then get surprised later.

I used Siri AI to help me rewrite a paragraph I was having trouble with about an hour ago. So it seems to be working just fine.

With respect, that means your comments and replies are irrelevant.

Thank you for sharing the link to the feedback form. I know where I should be investing my time towards from now on.

EasterltArt wrote:

With respect, that means your comments and replies are irrelevant.

Hello~ Respect??

~Katana-San~

Hello~ Yes… that is a possibility. I have done my homework on this and not really surprised at all :-)

~Katana-San~