A little more AI talk ahead...
And as much as the producers edit down the preliminary rounds, I actually think seeing all of the auditions in their entirety would actually be quite "painful" and boring. -Even with all the good auditions thrown in. Even if "we" had had the opportunity to see all the Top 40 contestants sing their songs in their entirety, that would just make for one long, and inevitably confusing evening of TV. There would just be too many people and songs to remember, to keep track of. And the producers would also run the risk of having some less stellar auditions finishing out the evening - if they showed everyone in the order they originally sang.
And when it comes down to it, it's all about getting people to watch the show. The ratings. And people are definitely watching. Even moreso this season.
I have a few friends who don't start watching the show until the live rounds start since that is truly when the competition starts. Yes, it's fun to see the prelims, but that's what they are, prelims.