MacOS 27 Users Report Persistent Siri AI Process Despite Disablement Attempts
Users of Apple’s latest macOS 27 Golden Gate have raised questions after discovering that a process named “Siri” or “Siri AI.app” continues to run even after they have disabled Siri through the System Settings and applied additional restrictions. This phenomenon was first reported in a Hacker News discussion where a user detailed attempts to turn off Siri, including disabling it in the Settings app, restricting Siri and its extensions via Screen Time, and using a third-party tool to disable related services, yet the process remained active upon reboot.
The third-party utility referenced, known as mac-os-debloat, uses launchctl commands to disable a wide range of non-essential macOS services, including those related to Siri and Apple Intelligence. While it can disable many background services, the persistence of the “Siri AI.app” process suggests that some components remain active regardless of these measures. Importantly, this tool is community-developed and not officially supported by Apple, so its effectiveness and scope are limited to what the system permits.
Further complicating the matter, some commenters in the same discussion observed that terminating the “Siri” process caused the Spotlight menu bar interface to momentarily flash, leading to speculation that the Siri AI process may have absorbed or replaced Spotlight’s functionality. However, this remains unconfirmed, and no official Apple documentation explicitly links the persistent Siri AI process with Spotlight or other system UI elements.
Apple’s official support documentation confirms that users can disable Siri via System Settings and adjust activation preferences, such as voice commands or keyboard shortcuts. Additionally, Apple’s device management schema for macOS 27 includes separate controls for disabling Siri entirely and for disabling Siri AI-specific features, indicating a distinction between the general voice assistant and its AI components.
Despite these controls, the continued presence of the Siri AI process in Activity Monitor suggests that macOS 27 integrates Siri more deeply into system functions than in previous versions. Reviews from reputable sources note that Siri AI is now a dedicated app integrated with Spotlight, the Dock, system menus, and contextual actions, reflecting a design that blends AI assistance throughout the user experience.
While some users express concerns about privacy and system resource usage related to the persistent Siri AI process, there is currently no official confirmation that this process actively listens or collects data when Siri is disabled. The available reports are based on user observations and community hypotheses rather than detailed technical analysis.
In summary, macOS 27’s Siri AI features appear to be more embedded within the operating system, making complete disablement through standard user controls challenging. Users seeking to fully disable Siri and its AI components may need to rely on advanced configurations or await further updates from Apple addressing these integration aspects.