ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 AI video tool triggers copyright battle with Hollywood studios

Seedance: Hollywood studios take aim at 'ultra-realistic' AI video tool

Whether it's Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt having a fist fight on a rooftop, Will Smith battling a red-eyed spaghetti monster, or Friends characters reimagined as otters, clips made using Seedance 2.0, a powerful new AI video tool, have been flooding social media. Seedance was launched by ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese owner, which bills it as delivering "an ultra-realistic immersive experience". It immediately set alarm bells ringing in Hollywood and beyond, with Deadpool writer Rhett Reese warning: "I hate to say it. It's likely over for us." Many of the clips are based on real actors, TV shows and films, and major US studios have now demanded that it must "immediately cease" infringing copyright. Seedance can quickly make highly realistic clips from a short, simple text prompt, and users have also been posting scenes based on shows and films like The Lord of the Rings, Seinfeld, Avengers and Breaking Bad. "In a single day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorised use of US copyrighted works on a massive scale," Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which represents film and TV studios, said in a statement. "By launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is disregarding well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and underpins millions of American jobs. "ByteDance should immediately cease its infringing activity." The MPA represents the major US studios - Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros Discovery. According to TikTok, some videos using its pre-launch model have been shared, and it said it respects intellectual property rights and copyright protections, and takes any potential infringement seriously. According to the company, it has suspended the ability for users to upload images of real people. It said it is taking steps to address further risks, and will implement robust policies, monitoring mechanisms and processes to ensure compliance with local regulations. A review by US magazine Forbes noted that Seedance 2.0 "offers a level of creative control that mimics a human director" and "enables users to create high-end outputs without needing complicated production tools". While many users are likely to be delighted to have its powers at their fingertips, Reese, who co-wrote and executive produced the Deadpool films among others, said he was "terrified" by the implications. "So many people I love are facing the loss of careers they love. I myself am at risk," he wrote. "When I wrote 'It's over,' I didn't mean it to sound cavalier or flippant. I was blown away by the Pitt v Cruise video because it is so professional. That's exactly why I'm scared. "My glass half empty view is that Hollywood is about to be revolutionized/decimated. If you truly think the Pitt v Cruise video is unimpressive slop, you've got nothing to worry about. But I'm shook." Heather Anne Campbell, who has written for Saturday Night Live and Rick & Morty, said the results were akin to fan fiction, and that people would still be required to come up with original ideas. "All of these people who have access to the latest AI visualisation engines, like Seedance - they're being given total control to create anything they can imagine - and they're turning out fanfiction," she wrote. "'Breaking bad new scene' or 'goku in live action' etc. "Seems like it's challenging to make something new even when you have the infinite budget to make lifelike tv, film, or animation. Almost like the original ideas are the hardest part."

'It's over for us': release of new AI video generator Seedance 2.0 spooks Hollywood

An AI clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting has caused concern among industry figures A leading Hollywood figure has warned "it's likely over for us", after watching a widely disseminated AI-generated clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting. Rhett Reese, co-writer of Deadpool & Wolverine, Zombieland and Now You See Me: Now You Don't was reacting to a 15-second video showing Cruise and Pitt trading punches on a rubble-strewn bridge, posted by Irish film-maker Ruairí Robinson, director of 2013 sci-fi horror The Last Days on Mars. Reposting the clip on social media, Reese wrote: "I hate to say it. It's likely over for us." He added: "In next to no time, one person is going to be able to sit at a computer and create a movie indistinguishable from what Hollywood now releases. True, if that person is no good, it will suck. But if that person possesses Christopher Nolan's talent and taste (and someone like that will rapidly come along), it will be tremendous." Robinson said that the clip resulted from a "2 line prompt in Seedance 2", referring to the AI video generator Seedance 2.0, released on Thursday by TikTok co-owners ByteDance. The Motion Picture Association, the Hollywood trade association, accused ByteDance of "unauthorised use of US copyrighted works on a massive scale". Calling on ByteDance to "cease its infringing activity", MPA chair and CEO Charles Rivkin said: "By launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is disregarding well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and underpins millions of American jobs." ByteDance, also the owner of TikTok outside of the US, has been contacted for comment.

Deadpool and Wolverine writer thinks this Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise AI slop fight scene somehow means "it's over" for Hollywood

AI is all the rage. Wherever you look, big stars, iconic IP, and obscene scenarios are being contorted at the whims of a piece of software and a big-brain genius inputting a handful of prompts. The latest AI example doing the rounds comes from Seedance 2, which spat out a fight scene between Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt after a "two-line prompt." The clip, running 15 seconds in length, sees the AI recreations of Cruise and Pitt battling on a crumbling highway, complete with (admittedly) fairly complex fight choreography. While much of the industry response was bafflement, Deadpool and Wolverine co-writer Rhett Reese has an altogether different reaction. "I hate to say it. It's likely over for us," Reese wrote on Twitter, while confirming in the replies that he is not being sarcastic in his assessment. He added, "I meant that the way things are is over." Reese later opined that AI is becoming a more widespread problem in his own profession. He remarked, "I suspect (could be wrong) that many screenwriters are using AI heavily in their writing, and many execs are using it heavily in their analysis of writing. So, hilariously, all the people are sitting back watching as AI critiques what it just created." If you want my opinion (and I know no one asked), but AI isn't taking over Hollywood any time soon. Just look at the backlash to Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actor. While it might enable shortcuts in production, movies - and, crucially, movie stars - aren't going to allow AI to present a hollow recreation in case it saves money. It's just not happening.

Did Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt really fight on a rooftop? Here's the truth

A viral AI-generated clip featuring digital Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting has Hollywood on edge. Created with a simple two-line prompt on ByteDance's Seedance 2.0, the hyper-realistic video raises serious concerns about likeness rights, democratized filmmaking, and the future of creative ownership. A viral AI-generated clip showing digital versions of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt throwing punches has exploded online. The entire thing was reportedly created using a two-line prompt on a Chinese AI system called ByteDance's Seedance 2.0. The viral video, shared by filmmaker Ruairi Robinson, shows hyper-realistic digital versions of Cruise and Pitt engaged in a rooftop fistfight. Later versions added dialogue and alternate camera angles -- all generated through AI. According to reports, the scene was created using Seedance 2.0, ByteDance's latest AI video tool. What shocked industry insiders wasn't just the realism -- it was the ease. A couple of lines of text. No actors. No stunt team. No crew. No studio. Just a prompt. This isn't just another deepfake meme. Industry voices, including Deadpool & Wolverine writer Rhett Reese, have raised concerns that tools like this could fundamentally reshape -- or destabilize -- the creative ecosystem. Seedance 2.0 is the newest multi-modal AI video generator developed by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. Designed to turn simple creative inputs into polished visual content, the tool allows users to merge text prompts, static images, reference videos, and audio files into short cinematic clips typically ranging from 4 to 15 seconds in length. Instead of relying only on text-to-video commands, Seedance 2.0 enables creators to guide scenes using multiple input formats for more controlled and refined output. Seedance 2.0 reportedly supports exports up to 2K resolution and offers 1080p watermark-free downloads suitable for commercial use. Among its standout features is "multi-lens storytelling," which allows a single prompt to expand into multiple connected shots while maintaining character consistency, lighting continuity, and tonal balance. The platform is also said to generate videos significantly faster than its predecessor, Seedance 1.5. Currently, Seedance 2.0 is available to select users through Jimeng AI, ByteDance's dedicated AI video creation platform. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)

AI Video of Tom Cruise Fighting Brad Pitt Has Top Writer Warning: "It's Likely Over for Us"

The 15-second video (watch it below) depicts the two A-listers trading blows on a rooftop. The video was posted two days ago by Irish filmmaker Ruairi Robinson, who was Oscar-nominated for a short film in 2002. When a fan snarked the video still "looks like shit," Reese replied, "In next to no time, one person is going to be able to sit at a computer and create a movie indistinguishable from what Hollywood now releases. True, if that person is no good, it will suck. But if that person possesses Christopher Nolan's talent and taste (and someone like that will rapidly come along), it will be tremendous." Just in case anyone took his "tremendous" comment as being optimistic about the impact of the technology on the industry, Reese added, "To clarify: I am not at all excited about AI encroaching into creative endeavors. To the contrary, I'm terrified. So many people I love are facing the loss of careers they love. I myself am at risk. When I wrote 'It's over,' I didn't mean it to sound cavalier or flippant. I was blown away by the Pitt v Cruise video because it is so professional. That's exactly why I'm scared. My glass-half-empty view is that Hollywood is about to be revolutionized/decimated. If you truly think the Pitt v Cruise video is unimpressive slop, you've got nothing to worry about. But I'm shook." Robinson pointed out his video was created by simply entering a two-line prompt. Reese also noted: "Hollywood has long been a gatekeeper that keeps young/poor people away from creative levers. When a young person with no capital sets out to impress Hollywood, they will use tools like these. And young Chris Nolans will be among them. And amazing stuff will result. I suspect (could be wrong) that many screenwriters are using AI heavily in their writing, and many execs are using it heavily in their analysis of writing. So, hilariously, all the people are sitting back watching as AI critiques what it just created." The comments come as a AI insiders have been sounding the alarm of the impact of their technology, particularly its impact on jobs. Entrepreneur Matt Shumer wrote a disturbing viral post titled "Something Big Is Happening" comparing our current moment to the months just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States. "The experience that tech workers have had over the past year, of watching AI go from 'helpful tool' to 'does my job better than I do,' is the experience everyone else is about to have," he wrote. "Law, finance, medicine, accounting, consulting, writing, design, analysis, customer service ... If you tried ChatGPT in 2023 or early 2024 and thought 'this makes stuff up' or 'this isn't that impressive,' you were right ... The models available today are unrecognizable from what existed even six months ago."