My preferences for what makes me apply for or pass over a roleplay hasn't changed much over the years. I mainly look for three things:
Engaging plot, or at least a good enough premise to sink my teeth into. Simple character sheet that doesn't demand a deep psychological profile down to how a character likes to part their hair. A nice enough word count I feel like we can write an actual story, not too short it's more chat-speak and not too lengthy it's basically just singular posts with self-contained events (collab posts excluded, obviously).
Whether or not I pass on a roleplay is usually based on my personal tastes. I avoid most SoL- and apocalypse-style roleplays. It's not that they can't be interesting, but heavily rely on sandbox mechanics that have just put me off them in general. AI involvement in writing is an obvious pass, but so far I haven't really seen it come up beyond image generation which I'm pretty okay with. Also adverse to fandoms that are basically OC x CC instead of building on something original within that universe. Similarly, if an original story requires specific character archetypes to be filled with set personalities and dynamics, I pass on that as well.