Just when it looks like AI is about to take over Hollywood with every triumphant Skynet-like move, Hollywood fights back. Last week, social media was flooded with videos of Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt, scenes featuring Darth Vader and Spider-Man, and new endings for movies. game of thrones and stranger things. However, all of this comes from Seedance 2.0, a generative AI tool owned by TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance. These videos were hailed by some as “the end of Hollywood,” but there was one big problem. All of them are created using characters and visual assets owned by other companies, including: disneyAnd we don’t get around the issue by infringing on Disney’s copyrights.
As reported by Axios, Disney issued a cease and desist letter to ByteDance, accusing the company of training its AI models on “pirated” content featuring some of the series’ biggest assets, including: star wars And the MCU. Disney recently transitioned to OpenAI and plans to use the Sora video platform to allow fans to create their own Disney content in a fully approved manner. This means the House of Mouse isn’t going to stand by when someone tries to step in and steal your content.
“Despite Disney’s well-known objections, ByteDance is hijacking Disney characters by copying, distributing, and creating derivative works,” said Disney attorney David Singer of Jenner & Block LLC. “ByteDance’s effective usurpation of Disney’s intellectual property is intentional, pervasive, and completely unacceptable. We believe this is just the tip of the iceberg, which is shocking considering SeaDance has only been available for a few days.”
As Singer pointed out, SeaDance 2.0 was only available for a short time before the video went viral, and the fight scene between Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt even drew comments. deadpool & wolverine Writer Rhett Reese said he was “shocked” by the footage. In a very short space of time, Disney wasn’t the only company to join in the backlash against the latest threat to actors, screenwriters, and the entire Hollywood system.
Seedance 2.0 was condemned by SAG-AFTRA and the Human Artistry Campaign
As expected, the most scathing response came quickly from SAG-AFTRA. After the 2023 strike, which included a lot of discussion about how AI will or won’t be used in the future, it’s no surprise that both they and the Motion Picture Association took a harsh stance against ByteDance’s latest AI tools.
“SAG-AFTRA stands with the studio in condemning the blatant copyright infringement enabled by ByteDance’s new AI video model Seedance 2.0,” an actors union spokesperson said in a statement. “Violations include the unauthorized use of members’ voices and likenesses. This is unacceptable and undermines the ability of human talent to earn a living. Seadance 2.0 ignores the fundamental principles of law, ethics, industry standards, and consent. Responsible AI development requires accountability, and that is absent here.”
In its own statement, the MPA added, “In just one day, Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has misappropriated U.S. copyrighted material at scale. By launching its service without meaningful protections against copyright infringement, ByteDance is ignoring established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and supports millions of U.S. jobs. ByteDance should immediately cease its infringing activities.”
Adding to this, the Human Artistry Campaign said in its own statement: “The launch of SeaDance 2.0 is an attack on all creators around the world. Stealing the work of human creators in an attempt to replace it with AI-generated slop is a violation of our writing. Stealing is not innovation. These unauthorized deepfakes and actor voice clones violate the most basic aspects of personal autonomy and should be deeply concerning to everyone. Authorities should use all legal means available.” Dispose to stop this grand theft. ”
Clearly, the fight against AI so far is just a taste of the war to come, and companies that have invested in generative AI technology are looking to make a fortune by plundering what they can before the bubble bursts. However, it appears ByteDance may have overstepped the line with its latest venture, and unless they act quickly to rectify the situation they find themselves in, the Disney lawsuit could be just the tip of the iceberg for ByteDance, which is clearly headed their way.
