Seedance 2.0 sparks outcry after AI-generated Cruise-Pitt fight goes viral

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) on Thursday condemned the newly released AI video generator Seedance 2.0, warning that it had unleashed a torrent of copyright infringement within hours of going live.

Seedance 2.0, developed by ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, has gone viral online, most notably for a video depicting Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in a rooftop fight. ByteDance hailed the model as a “substantial leap in generation quality” compared with its predecessor.

“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,” an MPA spokesperson 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 should immediately cease its infringing activity.”

The MPA’s warning echoes its response to OpenAI’s release of Sora 2 last fall, which also generated widespread AI-enabled copyright violations. 

OpenAI subsequently implemented safeguards and later reached a licensing deal with Disney for 200 characters, setting a precedent for studio collaboration with AI developers. Whether ByteDance will follow a similar path remains unclear.

Industry figures have reacted with concern. Rhett Reese, writer of the Deadpool films, tweeted in response to the Cruise-Pitt video: “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us. 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.”

The viral Cruise-Pitt clip was created by Irish filmmaker Ruairi Robinson, who said the video took only a “2 line prompt in Seedance 2” to generate. 

Robinson later reflected on the backlash, questioning online, “Should I be killed for typing 2 lines and pressing a button?”

Other AI-generated Seedance videos circulating online parody or reinterpret popular franchises, including Spider-Man, Titanic, Stranger Things, The Lord of the Rings, and Shrek.