AI Agents Are Removing Ads From Smart TVs and Replacing Their Home Screens

Smart TV owners are finding new ways to take control of their televisions with the help of artificial intelligence. Developers are using AI coding agents to remove sponsored advertisements, disable unwanted background applications and replace slow manufacturer interfaces with cleaner home screens.

The trend, sometimes called vibe coding, allows users to describe what they want in ordinary language while an AI agent helps generate and execute the technical instructions.

Two projects attracting attention are DumbTV and CleanYourTV. Both aim to reduce unwanted advertising and tracking on smart TVs, although they use different approaches.

DumbTV and CleanYourTV Aim to Remove Smart TV Clutter

One of the projects gaining attention is DumbTV, an open-source tool designed to make smart televisions simpler.

Its goal is to reduce manufacturer advertising, limit viewing-data collection and prevent unwanted software from taking over the television's home screen.

The project's developer, Muzzammil Yasin Sabuwala, reportedly used a combination of AI models, including DeepSeek and Claude, to develop the solution.

According to reporting by TechCrunch, DumbTV has been tested on Fire TV Edition devices and Android TV or Google TV platforms from manufacturers including Sony, TCL, Philips, Hisense and Xiaomi. It also supports Nvidia Shield devices.

Another project, CleanYourTV, focuses on removing unnecessary applications from Android TV and Google TV devices over a Wi-Fi connection.

Its creator, Gathin T., developed the project after becoming frustrated with sponsored advertisements appearing on his parents' Xiaomi television. He used Claude Code to identify unwanted software packages and create a simpler home screen.

The resulting interface was designed to show the family's preferred applications without the additional clutter found in the manufacturer's original launcher.

How AI Agents Modify Smart TV Software

Traditionally, changing a smart TV's software required technical knowledge, including familiarity with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), system packages and developer settings.

AI coding agents are making this process more accessible.

Instead of manually researching every command, a user can describe the desired changes to an AI assistant. The agent can then help identify installed applications, prepare commands and guide the modification process.

For compatible Android-based televisions, ADB provides a way for a computer to communicate with the TV over a network.

This can allow users to inspect installed packages and disable selected applications. Some tools also replace the original launcher with a different home-screen interface.

CleanYourTV's approach is designed to avoid requiring root access. Its creator has also described a reversible process that allows disabled applications to be restored.

However, these modifications are not completely risk-free. AI-generated commands can identify the wrong software package or interfere with important system functions.

Why Smart TV Owners Are Frustrated With Advertisements

Smart televisions have increasingly become advertising platforms.

When users switch on their TVs, they may encounter sponsored recommendations, promotional banners and advertisements before reaching their preferred streaming applications.

Manufacturers can generate additional revenue through advertising and viewing-data collection.

One technology involved in this process is Automatic Content Recognition (ACR).

ACR can identify what is playing on a television by analyzing audio or visual information. Depending on the device and its settings, this may include content from streaming applications, television broadcasts and external devices connected through HDMI.

The collected information can be used to understand viewing habits and support personalized advertising.

This has raised privacy concerns among consumers who expect their televisions to function primarily as entertainment devices.

AI Could Make Smart TV Customization Easier

The biggest change is not simply the availability of new TV modification tools. It is the way AI reduces the technical knowledge needed to use them.

Previously, owners often had to search online forums, understand complicated instructions and manually identify unnecessary applications.

AI agents can help simplify those steps by translating ordinary requests into technical commands.

For example, someone might ask an AI assistant to create a home screen that displays only Netflix, YouTube and other frequently used applications.

The assistant can then help develop a suitable interface or guide the user through available customization options.

This approach could encourage more people to experiment with their televisions instead of accepting the default software experience.

Modifying a Smart TV With AI Comes With Risks

Despite the convenience, using AI to modify television software can cause problems.

An AI agent may misunderstand a device's model, software version or package dependencies. Disabling an important system application could affect features such as casting, HDMI-CEC, voice assistants or remote-control functions.

There have also been user reports of televisions becoming unusable after unsuccessful AI-guided modifications.

These reports do not establish how frequently such failures happen, but they highlight why users should be cautious.

Before making changes, owners should:

• Confirm that the tool supports their exact TV model.
• Read the project's instructions and compatibility information.
• Keep a record of the original system configuration.
• Understand how to restore disabled applications.
• Avoid executing commands they do not understand.
• Back up important settings where possible.

A tool that works on one Android TV model may not behave the same way on another, even if both use the same operating system.

Safer Alternatives for Removing Smart TV Clutter

Not everyone needs to modify system packages to improve their television's home screen.

Android TV and Google TV users can consider established launcher applications such as:

• ATV Launcher: Provides an alternative home-screen layout.
• Projectivy Launcher: Offers customization and a cleaner interface.
• FLauncher: A lightweight alternative for organizing applications.

These options can be a more approachable starting point for users who simply want a different home screen.

It is also worth checking the television's built-in privacy settings. Some manufacturers provide controls for viewing-data collection and personalized advertising.

Disabling tracking features may reduce viewing-based advertising, although it will not necessarily remove every advertisement displayed by the manufacturer or streaming applications.

Could AI Change the Future of Smart TVs?

The growing interest in projects such as DumbTV and CleanYourTV highlights a wider change in how people interact with consumer electronics.

Smart TVs offer streaming applications, internet connectivity and advanced features, but their software can also introduce advertisements, tracking and unnecessary background processes.

AI coding agents are giving technically curious owners new ways to customize these devices without writing every command themselves.

Whether these tools become widely adopted will depend on device compatibility, reliability and how safely they can modify television software.

For now, they demonstrate an interesting possibility: AI may help consumers take greater control over the devices they already own, rather than relying entirely on the software and interfaces selected by manufacturers.