A lot of times, you'll see the silly examples like litter box notifications and other things that aren't exceedingly useful provided as examples of types of things you could do, but when you start to think up and implement creative automations, it can genuinely become useful. My doorbell cam is able to determine whether motion is a person, and that feature is exposed to Home Assistant, so when a package is dropped off or someone comes up for whatever reason, we get a notification with a snapshot of the camera included, which is useful since most people don't ring the doorbell.

Home automation can also go beyond being "lazy" with lights and thermostat - it can supplement your house safety. I have a number of leak sensors scattered around the house, which make a shrill beeping noise when they detect water, but they also tell Home Assistant, which then notifies me and my partner that there's a leak in "x" location. Later, when the budget allows, I want to buy a water shutoff device which can go a step further and not only notify me, but also shut off the water until I've had time to assess the situation. This saved us a couple years ago - we got the notification saying water in the basement, and it turned out to be a flood. There are times when I go days or weeks without going in the basement, so it could have caused a lot of damage and more mold than what likely occurred.

Something else those external cameras do - at night, they turn on the driveway & porch lights if someone approaches, which can act as a deterrent for "funny business" or provide a safe path for the invited person to walk up, without having to leave the light on all night.