Last week, an AI-generated video of a fake Tom Cruise and a fake Brad Pitt battling it out on a rooftop shocked the internet. Now, the Chinese technology giant that developed the AI tool has announced that it will take steps to strengthen its copyright-related protections.
In a statement shared with Business Insider, ByteDance said it would “strengthen security measures” for Seedance 2.0.
On Friday, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, accusing the Chinese company of “hijacking Disney characters by copying, distributing, and creating derivative works featuring those characters.”
In a statement to Business Insider, a ByteDance spokesperson said the company “respects intellectual property rights” and “hears your concerns regarding Seedance 2.0.”
In comments first reported by the BBC, a spokesperson said: “We are taking steps to strengthen our current safeguards to prevent unauthorized use of our intellectual property and likeness by our users.”
The company did not provide details of the safety measures it plans to introduce.
ByteDance, which is also TikTok’s parent company, launched Seedance 2.0 in early February. Its ability to generate realistic multi-shot video sequences has sparked a backlash from Hollywood due to concerns about the impact of AI on entertainment work.
Charles Rivkin, president and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, accused Seadance 2.0 of producing “unlicensed U.S. copyrighted productions on a large scale.”
“By launching its service without meaningful protections against copyright infringement, ByteDance is ignoring established copyright laws that protect the rights of creators and support millions of American jobs,” Rivkin said in a statement last week.
An AI-generated video depicting Pitt and Cruise fighting on a rooftop went viral last week, with many commenting online about how realistic the clip was.
The company also made headlines for its AI video of Marvel’s Wolverine battling Thanos and a lightsaber duel with Star Wars character Anakin Skywalker. Ray. Both franchises are owned by Disney.
Disney has warned ByteDance to stop using its intellectual property, but in December it signed a three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI, giving users of its Sora video generation tool access to 200 Disney characters.
