LG TVs’ unremovable Copilot shortcut is the least of smart TVs’ AI problems – Ars Technica
LG says it’ll let people delete the Copilot icon. But TV chatbots aren’t going away.
Online fury erupted this week after an LG TV owner claimed that a firmware update installed unremovable generative AI software on their smart TV.
The controversy began on Saturday, when a Reddit user posted about the sudden appearance of a Microsoft Copilot icon on their device (something Windows users are all too familiar with). The Reddit user claimed that a “new software update installed Copilot” onto their LG TV and that it couldn’t be deleted.
“Pre-installed crap is universally dogshit. If I wanted it, I’d have installed it myself eventually. The whole reason it’s bundled is because no one would choose it… Burn your television,” another Reddit user responded in the thread, which has 36,000 upvotes as of this writing.
Some news outlets covered the move this week, reporting that LG customers were upset by an “unremovable Microsoft Copilot installation” and that other LG TV owners could expect to get it the next time they update their device.
LG has since admitted that it used a webOS update to force Copilot onto some of its TVs. However, the firmware update didn’t install the Copilot application but rather a shortcut to the Copilot web app, which opens in the TV’s integrated web browser, LG spokesperson Chris De Maria told The Verge. De Maria added that “features such as microphone input are activated only with the customer’s explicit consent.”
LG’s spokesperson said the company added the “shortcut icon to enhance customer accessibility and convenience.” LG, like other companies, has failed to prove why people need their non-computing devices, such as computer mice or earbuds, to provide instant access to third-party chatbots.
For those annoyed about the web app shortcut, De Maria said today that LG “will take steps to allow users to delete the shortcut icon if they wish.” He didn’t provide more details.
Even with LG’s concession, it may become more difficult to avoid chatbots on TVs.
LG says it will let people delete the Copilot icon from their TVs soon, but it still has plans to weave the service throughout webOS. The Copilot web app rollout seems to have been a taste of LG’s bigger plans to add Copilot to some of its 2025 OLED TVs. In a January announcement, LG said Copilot will help users find stuff to watch by “allowing users to efficiently find and organize complex information using contextual cues.” LG also said Copilot would “proactively” identify potential user problems and offer “timely, effective solutions.”
Some TVs from LG’s biggest rival, Samsung, have included Copilot since August. Owners of supporting 2025 TVs can speak to Copilot using their remote’s microphone. They can also access Copilot via the Tizen OS homescreen’s Apps tab or through the TVs’ Click to Search feature, which lets users press a dedicated remote button to search for content while watching live TV or Samsung TV Plus. Users can also ask the TV to make AI-generated wallpapers or provide real-time subtitle translations.
Copilot similarly rolled out automatically onto supporting Samsung TVs. Users can avoid Copilot by not using the above features, and they may be able to remove the Copilot icon from their TV’s Apps section.
But Copilot will still be integrated into Tizen OS, and Samsung appears eager to push chatbots into TVs, including by launching Perplexity’s first TV app. Amazon, which released Fire TVs with Alexa+ this year, is also exploring putting chatbots into TVs.
After the backlash LG faced this week, companies may reconsider installing AI apps on people’s smart TVs. A better use of large language models in TVs may be as behind-the-scenes tools to improve TV watching. People generally don’t buy smart TVs to make it easier to access chatbots.
But this development is still troubling for anyone who doesn’t want an AI chatbot in their TV at all.
Subtle integrations of generative AI that make it easier for people to do things like figure out the name of “that movie” may have practical use, but there are reasons to be wary of chatbot-wielding TVs.
Chatbots add another layer of complexity to understanding how a TV tracks user activity. With a chatbot involved, smart TV owners will be subject to complicated smart TV privacy policies and terms of service, as well as the similarly verbose rules of third-party AI companies. This will make it harder for people to understand what data they’re sharing with companies, and there’s already serious concern about the boundaries smart TVs are pushing to track users, including without consent.
Chatbots can also contribute to smart TV bloatware. Unwanted fluff, like games, shopping shortcuts, and flashy ads, already disrupts people who just want to watch TV.
LG’s Copilot web app is worthy of some grousing, but not necessarily because of the icon that users will eventually be able to delete. The more pressing issue is the TV industry’s shift toward monetizing software with user tracking and ads.
If you haven’t already, now is a good time to check out our guide to breaking free from smart TV ads and tracking.
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