AI homeless man prank: US, UK police issue warning over viral trend
The trend involves users generating realistic images of a dishevelled homeless man in familiar settings such as homes or workplaces, then sending them to friends or family to provoke shocked reactions
Police in the United States and the United Kingdom have issued warnings over a viral social media trend known as the "AI homeless man prank", according to a report by BBC.
The trend involves users generating realistic images of a dishevelled homeless man in familiar settings such as homes or workplaces, then sending them to friends or family to provoke shocked reactions.
The fake images, created using tools like Google's Gemini (also referred to as Nano Banana) or MyEdit's AI Replace feature, often cause confusion and panic before recipients realise it is a prank.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
In Dorset, England, police said they received a call from an "extremely concerned parent" last week after a teenager sent her parent an AI-generated image of a homeless man, claiming he refused to leave their home. The parent believed there was an intruder while their daughter was alone.
A similar incident was reported in the United States, where an image showing a homeless man wandering around Oak Harbor High School in Washington circulated online. The Oak Harbor Police Department later confirmed that the image was fake and the report false.
US and UK police have urged parents and social media users to remain cautious and verify content before reacting.
Social media users have raised concerns that such trends can cause harm, dehumanise homeless people and demonstrate how AI tools can be misused to create misleading content.
