On Thursday the Chinese owner of TikTok released the latest version of its AI-powered video creation model, ushering in a wave of user-created videos featuring Hollywood stars and intellectual property and setting off alarm bells in entertainment.
In just a short time period, Seedance 2.0 users created not only a widely circulated video of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt engaging in hand-to-hand combat, but also an alternate ending to Game of Thrones and a clip featuring Rocky Balboa and Optimus Prime in a fast-food restaurant.
The reaction from organizations with ties to Hollywood that followed was swift and fierce, similar to when OpenAI’s Sora 2 shocked the industry in the fall of 2025 with its clips featuring iconic Hollywood properties and initial “opt-out” stance. Talent agencies were quick to respond in the latter case, saying they would opt out their clients. OpenAI chief Sam Altman backtracked and offered “more granular” control for IP creators amid the pushback.
Hollywood’s top studios and streamers quickly came out swinging against ByteDance. ”In a single day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale,” Charles Rivkin, the CEO of the studio trade organization the Motion Picture Association, said in a statement on Thursday afternoon. “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.”
Rivkin called on the company to “immediately cease its infringing activity.”
On the labor front, the union SAG-AFTRA — which represents actors like Cruise and Pitt — said on Friday that ByteDance was engaging in “blatant infringement.” Added the union, “The infringement includes the unauthorized use of our members’ voices and likenesses. This is unacceptable and undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood.”
The union continued, “Seedance 2.0 disregards law, ethics, industry standards and basic principles of consent. Responsible A.I. development demands responsibility, and that is nonexistent here.” SAG-AFTRA has long advocated for the principles of consent and compensation to undergird all uses of A.I. that affect its members.
A coalition of major artist and entertainment groups also weighed in on Friday. The Human Artistry Campaign, which includes members like the Recording Industry Association of America, the NHL Players’ Association and the AFL-CIO, generally advocates for tech companies to license material for their AI tools and allow artists to opt out.
On Seedance 2.0 the Campaign took an aggressive approach, calling it “an attack on every creator around the world.” Added the group, “Stealing human creators’ work in an attempt to replace them with AI generated slop is destructive to our culture: stealing isn’t innovation. These unauthorized deepfakes and voice clones of actors violate the most basic aspects of personal autonomy and should be deeply concerning to everyone.”
The group called on authorities to “stop this wholesale theft.”
These groups were joined by the Copyright Alliance, an advocacy group for creators and copyright, which also called on ByteDance to end the flood of user-created content featuring intellectual property. “The theft of the works of America’s creators by foreign bad actors is a threat to our nation’s creators and our global leadership in creativity and responsible AI innovation and must not be tolerated,” said CEO Keith Kupferschmid.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to ByteDance for comment.
More to come.
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