Users Are Simplifying Smart TVs with Artificial Intelligence

Developers and users have started using artificial intelligence tools to remove sponsored ads, tracking features, and bloatware from modern smart TVs. Thanks to open-source projects like "dumbtv" and "cleanyourtv," users can speed up the interface and give their televisions a simpler structure.

Discontent with the ad push and tracking technologies that monitor user habits on modern smart TVs has triggered a new trend. A developer named Gathin T. used Claude Code via Wi-Fi to remove 25 Xiaomi packages and create a new home screen interface in order to clear ads from his family's television. Similarly, the "dumbtv" project developed by Muzzammil Yasin Sabuwala was coded with artificial intelligence models like Deepseek V4.1 Flash, Claude Opus 5.5, and Claude Sonnet 5.5, and tested on different platforms such as Fire TV, Sony, TCL, Philips, Hisense, and Xiaomi. Such solutions do not require root access and allow reverting to factory settings when desired.

While AI-powered TV cleaning methods are spreading rapidly, some users noted that complex commands might be required or devices could malfunction if an incorrect package is deleted. On the other hand, it is stated that such AI interventions could disrupt the smart TV advertising industry, which generates revenue by selling viewing data to advertisers.