AI-powered deepfake tech has come a very long way.
Unsurprisingly, teens have been using the tech to prank their friends and family. The latest hoax involves kids sending their parents AI-manipulated pictures of them welcoming homeless men into their houses — prompting widespread alarm and even 911 calls, as NBC News reports.
This new AI homeless man trend is fantastic had to get my wee sister to try persuade her not to actually call the polis 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/XmAITmcZJT — Isla (@FfsHibs) October 1, 2025
The trend shows how widespread highly sophisticated generative AI tools have become, foreshadowing a future in which you can’t believe even imagery from friends and family. Case in point, countless videos on social media involve youngsters boasting about how they terrified their parents or friends with the help of AI.
“No, I don’t know him,” one disgruntled father messaged their son in one TikTok video that got millions of views. “What does he want?”
“He said you guys went to school together, I invited him in,” the son replied, posting an AI-edited image of a man sitting on presumably the family’s couch.
“JOE PICK UP THE PHONE,” the alarmed parent replied. “I DON’T KNOW HIM!!!!!”
The prank has gained so much momentum that law enforcement is now issuing warnings, NBC News reports.
“Besides being in bad taste, there are many reasons why this prank is, to put it bluntly, stupid and potentially dangerous,” the Salem, Massachusetts police department wrote in a statement. “This prank dehumanizes the homeless, causes the distressed recipient to panic and wastes police resources.”
A press release by the Oak Harbor police department in Washington also warned of “safety concerns” related to an “‘AI homeless man’ prank.” Circulating images made it look like a “homeless individual was present on the Oak Harbor High School Campus.”
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