Developers and smart TV owners are using AI coding tools to remove unwanted advertising, replace cluttered interfaces and modify devices they already own. The projects could help extend the useful life of existing hardware, but they also carry technical and security risks.
AI Is Helping Owners Reclaim Their Devices
Smart devices can lose their usefulness when manufacturers end support or shut down the online services they depend on. Others remain functional but are cluttered with sponsored content, preinstalled applications and software features that owners cannot easily change.
A growing number of AI-assisted projects are addressing both problems, from modifying existing devices to make them less intrusive to restoring functionality to hardware that has been abandoned.
In a 20 October report, 404 Media's Jason Koebler described people using AI to turn smart picture frames into AI-powered calendars, remove ads from baby monitors and bring bricked Lululemon mirrors back to life with new software. Developers have also been modifying smart TVs to remove unwanted applications and simplify their home screens.
Although the projects have different aims, they share a potential benefit: helping owners get more out of hardware they have already paid for, rather than replacing it or accepting the limitations of its original software.
Smart TV Owners Are Removing Ads and Bloatware
One of the clearest examples involves Xiaomi smart TVs, where sponsored content can appear before viewers reach the streaming services they want to use.
On 17 October, a developer known as Gathin shared a project to modify his parents' television using Claude Code, Anthropic's AI coding tool.
Vibe coded my parents' TV this afternoon!
— Gathin (Ø,G) (@gathint) October 17, 2026
It was showing a sponsored ad before you could even get to Netflix.
Gave Claude Code the model number, it found the TV on wifi, removed 25 Xiaomi packages and wrote a new launcher.
Looks like an Apple TV now lol pic.twitter.com/E5Q4A1b0yI
'Vibe coded my parents' TV this afternoon!' he wrote on X.
He explained that an advertisement appeared before viewers could even access Netflix. According to his post, he gave Claude Code the television's model number, and the tool found the TV over Wi-Fi, disabled 25 Xiaomi software packages and created a new launcher.
'Looks like an Apple TV now lol,' he added.
The developer's project, CleanYourTV, is designed to disable unwanted software on compatible Android TV and Google TV devices and replace the default home screen with a simpler interface.
According to the project's documentation, it backs up the list of installed packages and settings, disables selected manufacturer software rather than uninstalling it, and installs a replacement launcher. The project includes a restore script designed to reverse the changes, although its documentation warns that disabling certain system components can cause problems on some devices.
Owners need a computer on the same Wi-Fi network as the television and a coding assistant with shell access. They must enable USB debugging on the TV and approve the connection. Some devices also require network or ADB debugging to be enabled.
The repository includes model-specific configurations contributed by users, but compatibility and available features vary by model and software version. Its documentation also identifies potential problems, including cases where disabling the wrong system component can cause a crash loop.
Another project, dumbtv, takes a similar approach. Its developer, Muzzammil Yasin Sabuwala, told TechCrunch that he wanted viewers to reach their content without unnecessary advertising and clutter.
TechCrunch reported that dumbtv had been tested end-to-end on a Fire TV Edition television and on Android TV or Google TV platforms from Sony, TCL, Philips, Hisense, Xiaomi and Nvidia Shield. Its approach and compatibility differ from CleanYourTV, and the project remains a work in progress.
These modifications can simplify existing televisions and remove some manufacturer-supplied advertising, but they do not guarantee that every advertisement or form of tracking will disappear. The results depend on the device, its operating system and the changes made.
Why AI Is Making Device Modifications Easier
Reverse engineering is not new. Developers and hobbyists have long studied proprietary software and built alternatives for products that manufacturers no longer support.
What AI changes is how much of the technical work can be handled through instructions to a coding assistant. These tools can help users inspect software, generate code and create replacement interfaces without requiring them to write every line themselves.
The approach is related to 'vibe coding', a term used for creating software by describing a desired result to an AI tool rather than manually writing all the code.
The Reverse Engineer Anything project, highlighted by 404 Media, is designed to help AI agents inspect features in existing software, explain how they work and reproduce them without access to the original source code.
The same general approach can be applied to software embedded in physical devices, potentially allowing owners to modify interfaces, remove unwanted features or restore functionality. However, the TV projects described here should not be assumed to use Reverse Engineer Anything itself.
AI-generated replacements are not necessarily equivalent to the original software. They can contain bugs, omit features or behave unpredictably. Open-source software researcher Mike Nolan told 404 Media that maintaining AI-generated clones could be difficult, warning that some might not be reliable enough for long-term use.
The Risks of Modifying Connected Devices
The ability to change device software comes with practical and security risks. Disabling the wrong component could break important functions or leave a television unstable.
TechCrunch reported that some users encountered problems while modifying their TVs, including one user who said they had bricked an Android TV and another who became stuck halfway through modifying a Fire TV. These are user-reported incidents.
The reporting does not independently establish the precise cause of either problem. The projects' developers and users are still testing compatibility and suggesting fixes.
There is also a specific security consideration. CleanYourTV relies on Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which gives a connected computer access to device-level functions. Network-based debugging can create a security risk if it is left enabled or is not adequately protected.
The project requires users to enable debugging to carry out modifications, so they should understand the access they are granting and disable debugging and revoke authorisations when finished.
Installing unverified code can also expose devices to vulnerabilities or malicious software. The reports do not establish that CleanYourTV or dumbtv contains malware; the concern is the general risk of running code that has not been independently reviewed.
Owners should check whether a project supports their exact model, follow its instructions carefully and understand how to restore the original configuration before making changes. They should also avoid running commands they do not understand.
Removing manufacturer software may reduce some advertising or tracking, but it does not automatically eliminate every privacy risk or make a device more secure.
Can AI Help Consumers Get More From Their Hardware?
The trend raises a wider question about how much control consumers should retain over the products they buy.
Manufacturers may discontinue services or stop supporting devices for commercial or technical reasons. But when the hardware still works, alternative software can offer a way to keep using it instead of discarding it.
There are trade-offs. Replacement software needs ongoing maintenance as operating systems change, and attempts to reproduce proprietary features can raise intellectual property and licensing questions. The sources discussed here do not establish that the TV projects have infringed intellectual property rights.
The reports also do not quantify how many owners have avoided replacing devices or how much electronic waste these modifications might prevent. Extending a device's useful life remains a potential benefit rather than a demonstrated outcome.
AI-assisted modifications are not a guaranteed fix for obsolete or frustrating devices. But projects that remove unwanted TV software, simplify interfaces or restore lost functions show how coding tools could help owners reclaim hardware they already own. Whether those changes prove useful in the long term will depend on their reliability, security and continued maintenance.
