Using AI to Make Your Smart TV Less Smart (And That's a Good Thing)

We've reached the point where we use artificial intelligence to make the TV less intelligent. And good for us!

Because you just want to watch the match. The TV offers you an ad, a series you don't care about and yet another subscription. Meanwhile, Dad sits there with the remote in his hand:

"Just find me the channel I want."

Now people are doing these "upgrades" themselves. With tools like Claude Code and free projects like CleanYourTV, they're switching off the apps they don't need and replacing ad-filled menus with a simple screen where you easily find the things you actually use. It works on compatible TVs running Android TV or Google TV.

I got curious, so I tried it myself. It was really simple and, honestly, worth it.

And the idea isn't to turn your TV into Grandma's old set, the one that needed a smack on the side to get a picture. You can make it nicer: your favorite apps lined up first, the wallpaper you want, different colors, a big clock on screen, the weather and so on.

So you remove what you don't need and add what you like. You paid for that TV. Nobody gave it to you for free so they could hang a billboard in the middle of your screen. Even when a friend comes over, before you've said "welcome," the TV has already offered him a subscription.

Just be careful: what's possible depends on the model, and you should save your settings in case you need to reset. Not every TV allows the same changes.

And don't tell the AI to "remove everything," or Dad will finally win the argument for good:

"Told you. The old one was better."

Photo: Google