Tinseltown’s growing outrage over intellectual property breaches has forced ByteDance to abandon immediate plans for a global rollout of its advanced Seedance 2.0 AI video generator.
The Chinese tech powerhouse, owner of TikTok and a minority investor in its U.S. successor, debuted the tool in China last February.
Viral demos, such as a vivid clip of Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt, wowed viewers but enraged Hollywood executives. They lambasted the AI for mimicking blockbuster visuals and star appearances, fuelling fears of creative job losses, as TechCrunch detailed.
A veteran screenwriter captured the mood by saying, “It’s likely over for us.” Studios like Disney, Warner Bros., and Universal fired off cease-and-desist letters. Disney’s lawyers called it a “virtual smash-and-grab of Disney’s IP,” amplifying concerns echoed in Variety and Reuters reports on AI threats akin to OpenAI’s Sora.
ByteDance promised tougher safeguards, including watermarks and cleaner training data, per CNBC. A mid-March international launch now hangs in limbo as teams scramble to resolve issues flagged by The Information. The Motion Picture Association and firms like Netflix and Paramount keep up the pressure, reports the Hollywood Reporter.
ByteDance declined to comment when contacted by TechCrunch.