The Motion Picture Association on Thursday accused its latest AI video generator, Seedance 2.0, of causing massive piracy in the first day it became available.
ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese owner, said the model represents a “significant leap in generational quality” from previous versions. Videos generated by the service, particularly one of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt brawling on a rooftop, went viral on social media platforms.
“In just one day, Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 engaged in massive misappropriation of U.S. copyrighted material,” an MPA spokesperson said in a statement. “By launching a service that operates without meaningful protections against copyright infringement, ByteDance is ignoring established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and supports millions of American jobs. ByteDance should immediately cease its infringing activities.”
Industry groups issued similar comments after OpenAI released Sora 2 last fall, which led to a flood of AI-based copyright infringements.
“OpenAI needs to take immediate and decisive action to address this issue,” MPA said at the time. “Established copyright law protects the rights of creators and applies here as well.”
In response to these concerns, OpenAI has introduced safeguards that make it more difficult for users to infringe on studio copyrights. Disney then signed a deal with OpenAI to license 200 characters for use in Sora 2. Many saw this as a template that other studios could potentially follow.
However, it is unclear whether ByteDance is open to that approach or whether copyright holders will be forced to start filing takedown notices or infringement lawsuits. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
For some, the Seed Dance video evoked feelings of despair and resignation.
“I hate to say it. I think it’s over for us,” Rhett Reese, the writer of “Deadpool,” wrote in a comment about the Cruise Pit video. “Soon, one person will be able to sit down at a computer and create a movie that will be indistinguishable from anything Hollywood is releasing today.”
This video was created by Irish film and commercial producer Ruairi Robinson.
“This was a two-line prompt for Seadance 2,” he wrote to X. “If Hollywood is cooked, if everyone is right, then maybe Hollywood is cooked, and it’s funny that everyone is overcooked.”
In response to the backlash over the video, he wrote, “Today’s question is: should I be killed for typing two lines and pressing a button?”
Other SeaDance videos circulating online include riffs on “Spider-Man,” “Titanic,” “Stranger Things,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Shrek,” and more.
