People are using AI to make their smart TVs “dumb” again and escape ads
Developers and hobbyists are using AI agents such as Claude Code to strip ads, bloatware and tracking features from smart TVs. The methods are still works in progress, and some users report broken devices.
Developers and hobbyists on X and GitHub are sharing ways to use AI to free smart TVs from ads, unwanted apps and viewing-habit tracking. The approach is often called “vibe coding”, meaning that most of the programming is delegated to an AI agent. It suggests that modifying consumer devices is becoming accessible to people without deep technical skills.
What is on offer
One project, “dumbtv”, says on its GitHub page that a TV should do only what the buyer paid for: show apps and HDMI inputs, with no ads from the TV itself, no watch tracking and no unrequested updates. Another, “cleanyourtv”, removes bloatware from any Android TV or Google TV over Wi-Fi and replaces the launcher with one resembling Apple TV.
The creator of cleanyourtv, Gathin T., said the idea came when he grew tired of ads on his parents’ TV. With Claude Code he removed 25 Xiaomi packages and built a new home screen. He says a few thousand people did the same over the next two days. The solution does not require root access, and the TV can be returned to its factory state. The dumbtv project has been tested on a Fire TV Edition set and on Sony, TCL, Philips, Hisense and Xiaomi TVs.
Why it matters
Modern smart TVs ship with Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), a technology that identifies what is on screen using screenshots, audio clips or other digital fingerprinting. If these hacks spread among ordinary consumers, they could disrupt the smart TV ad industry, which profits from selling viewing data to advertisers or using it to show personalized ads on its own interfaces.
Risks
Results are mixed. Some users found that Claude did not respond to a simple request to “hack my TV”, and more complex prompts were needed. Others warned that AI agents can make mistakes and disable important packages. One person said they bricked an Android TV, and another got stuck halfway through hacking a Fire TV. The authors say the solutions are works in progress.
For those wary of such methods, existing home screen replacement apps for Android-based TVs include ATV Launcher, Projectivity Launcher and FLauncher.
