For better or for worse, artificial intelligence is here, and likely here to stay.
Now, some people have found some genuinely good uses for it. Examples include using AI to minimize busywork, automate menial tasks, and summarize long documents for easier consumption.
But of course, as is the case with anything popular on the internet, there are also people using AI for less-than-useful purposes.
And, much to the authorities’ collective chagrin, sometimes that AI manipulation treads into “dangerous” territory.
According to People magazine, a new trend on TikTok being dubbed the “AI Homeless Man Prank” has taken off.
The premise is simple: Social media users are manipulating photos to make it appear that a homeless person had invaded certain homes.
You can view one such prank for yourself below:
There is a viral trend of people using AI to prank their parents tha a homeless man is in ther house 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/xykEaJLlLE
— James Rowdy (@Rowdymode) October 6, 2025
While the prank is mostly played for laughs, police in the U.S. and U.K. don’t find anything funny about it.
Blasting the “Homeless Man Prank” as a “stupid and potentially dangerous” trend, authorities warned people off from engaging in the joke.
The Salem Police Department in Massachusetts issued a blistering statement on the matter, noting that these fake crises were leading to very real 911 calls: “In several cases, those who received these AI generated images and commentary sincerely believed that there was an actual intruder in their home and called 9-1-1 to report a burglary or breaking and entering in progress which necessitated an immediate police response.”
Salem police also took umbrage with the joke being in “bad taste.”
“Besides being in bad taste, there are many reasons why this prank is, to put it bluntly, stupid and potentially dangerous,” the Salem police statement continued. “This prank dehumanizes the homeless, causes the distressed recipient to panic and wastes police resources.
“Police officers who are called upon to respond do not know this is a prank and treat the call as an actual burglary in progress thus creating a potentially dangerous situation.”
“PICK UP THE PHONE”: The AI “homeless man in my house” prank is traumatizing parents on TikTok https://t.co/i3DF7LM081 pic.twitter.com/vmYsQfLSR3
— The Daily Dot (@dailydot) October 9, 2025
According to ABC News, police departments across the country — including Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin — have issued similar warnings about engaging in this trend.
Salem Police Capt. John Burke spoke to “Good Morning America” about this growing trend.
“You’re causing your friends or your family to panic,” he said. “You’re tying up a police, public safety answering point, a 911, dispatch center. You’re wasting the police resources.”
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