I think you have the wrong idea about driver AI.  The AI doesn't prevent or discourage you from doing anything: it simply makes sure the driver is set properly no matter what you do in Qimage.  So if you want to use a profile, use your profile: driver AI will set the color management mode in the driver as appropriate for use of a profile.  In fact, you should always be doing that: selecting a profile even if it's a manufacturer profile.  Don't rely on the driver to do it.  Driver AI will make sure the driver is set properly whether you choose "Let printer/driver manage color" or you select a profile yourself, but you should always do the latter because it is better to allow Qimage to do that important step rather than guess that the driver will pick the right profile, select the right rendering intent, use black point compensation (which is not even an option in drivers), etc.

Regards,
Mike