Man Asks AI with a Simple Prompt ‘Can You Hack This?’ to Fix His TV: Now Everyone Wants to Copy Him

A man has transformed his sluggish smart TV by asking an AI chatbot just five words: 'Can you hack this?'

Ryan Doyle, who posts on X as @doooyle, used Anthropic's Claude Code to remove unwanted advertising and pre-installed software from his television, speed up its interface and create a personalised screensaver showing his revenue, calendar, weather and notifications for new Stripe payments.

Doyle said he simply sent the AI coding assistant his TV's product listing, asked whether it could be hacked, and followed its instructions.

He subsequently shared footage showing how quickly the television responded after the changes, claiming it was faster than ever.

His experiment highlights a growing frustration among smart-TV owners: televisions designed to make entertainment more convenient can also come loaded with adverts, unnecessary applications and background software that can make navigating menus feel painfully slow.

Smart TV Owners Fight Back With AI

Doyle's experiment is not the only example of owners using AI to improve their televisions.

Another user, who said his TV was a Xiaomi model, had been struggling with sluggish performance before he turned to Claude for help.

'My Xiaomi TV was insanely slow because of adware and bloatware. Been struggling with this problem for a long time.

'Used Claude to make it fast and smooth!'

The user shared an open-source project called tv-vibehack on GitHub, which provides instructions for disabling selected unwanted Android TV applications and installing a lighter home screen.

The project uses Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a tool that lets a computer communicate with an Android device. It's a bit like connecting a laptop to your TV's settings menu, then using a few permitted commands to change how the TV behaves.

The user suggested downloading Claude Code, enabling developer options on the television, connecting the TV and laptop to the same Wi-Fi network, and running the project's instructions.

Online reactions suggest the idea is resonating with people who want greater control over their electronics. One commenter celebrated the prospect of customising devices around the home.

'Agents are coming for every screen in your house. My LG OLED is now way faster and customisable.'

Another questioned whether the process deserved to be called hacking at all.

'This is indeed super easy, I highly recommend trying it.

'There's no "hack", it's really just ADB commands through your local network which Claude knows by heart.'

A third argued that the technology could put more power into consumers' hands.

'Seriously, that's why AI belongs in our hands. And that is why local AI is necessary, so that we are never restricted in such matters.'

Another commenter described the moment as an exciting turning point.

'This week, with Reverse Engineer Anything has really felt like a crazy unique moment in time.

'I love that we're all just hacking into our consumer electronics and removing the features we hate.

'I wonder how companies will respond. I can't imagine things being this "hackable" in the not so distant future.'

The Hidden Cost of Smart TVs

Faster menus are only part of the appeal. Smart TVs now blend regular TV with internet services, personalised recommendations, ads and data collection.

A 2020 study in Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies showed that connected TVs can communicate with ad and tracking services. It does not prove that Doyle's TV contained spyware, or that manufacturers deliberately slow devices to encourage upgrades. Turning off unwanted apps doesn't guarantee all tracking has stopped, either.

The experiment still raises a good question: how much TV frustration comes from software rather than old hardware?

Caution is needed. Disabling the wrong app can break features, and developer settings are not meant for everyday use. The project targets compatible Android TV devices only, not Samsung's Tizen or LG's webOS.

The Irony: AI Could Save You Buying a New TV

The irony is that an AI coding assistant may help people get more life out of televisions they already own, rather than spend hundreds of pounds on a replacement.

Instead of buying a new screen because the menus have become frustratingly slow, some owners are experimenting with ways to strip back the software and reclaim the hardware they paid for.

The technology industry's latest sales pitch is that AI can make our devices smarter. But in this case, its most impressive trick may be making a smart TV do less – and work better.