Chinese Women Use Concerning 'AI Homeless Man Prank' To Test Their Partners, Internet Says "Crisis Of Trust"

Some Chinese women are using the disturbing 'AI homeless man prank' to test their partners, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. The prank sparked concerns after it recently went viral in many Western countries. To participate in this trend, users create AI-generated images of an untidy homeless man appearing in familiar settings like a home or workplace. 

In China, several women asked AI to generate images and videos of homeless men inside their room, and shared the same with their husbands or boyfriends to see how they would react to the situation, providing insight into their feelings and commitment.

Tools like Google's Gemini (sometimes referred to as Nano Banana) or MyEdit's AI Replace feature are used to create realistic images.

According to the report, a lawyer's family had to call the police to report a crime because of the viral prank. 

In another incident, a man called the police on October 17 after his wife in eastern China's Anhui province sent such images. The man, who was out dining with his friends, thought it was real. The police officers rushed to their home and found that the images were generated by AI.

The officials said that it was a waste of public resources and the woman was "fear-mongering". The Public Security Administration Punishment Law states that people who do such things can face 10 days in custody and a 500-yuan (US$70) fine.

Many users of local social media platforms criticised the viral prank. As quoted, one user said, "Have you not heard the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf? If you raise false alarms too many times, people will not believe you when real danger happens." 

"AI has brought convenience to our lives, but at the same time, it has also generated a crisis of trust. The platform should take responsibility to regulate AI content," said another, as per the report.

Пранк вышел из-под контроля: полиция в США бьет тревогу из-за нового ИИ-тренда в TikTok — двум подросткам уже предъявили обвинения

Зумеры запустили в TikTok новый тренд под названием AI Homeless Man Prank («Пранк с ИИ-бездомным»). Пранкеры генерируют видео с бездомным мужчиной и… pic.twitter.com/w5LaySrmgY

— RTVI US (@RTVIUS) October 20, 2025

AI Homeless Man Prank in the US and UK

Recently, police in the United States and the United Kingdom issued warnings over this social media prank.

In Dorest, England, a teenager pranked her parents, who believed that there was a man in their family home while their daughter was alone. The Dorset Police confirmed that it received a call from an "extremely concerned parent" last week.  The police noted that after the call, they used "valuable deployable resources" which could have been used for a genuine emergency. "If you receive a message and pictures similar to the above antics from friends or family, please attempt to check it isn't a prank before dialling 999," as per the report, the force said in a post on social media.

In the US, a social media post showed a homeless man roaming around Oak Harbor High School in Washington. In a public press release, the Oak Harbor Police Department noted that this was a false report and the image was fake.