ByteDance Faces Hollywood Backlash Over AI Video Tool Generating Hyperrealistic Deepfakes of Celebrities and Copyrighted Characters
Summary
ByteDance faces major Hollywood backlash as its Seedance 2.0 AI video tool generates hyperrealistic deepfakes of celebrities like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, prompting cease and desist letters from Disney and Paramount Skydance, while the MPA and SAG-AFTRA condemn the platform for copyright infringement at a scale that threatens millions of American jobs.
Key Points
- ByteDance is moving to strengthen safeguards on its Seedance 2.0 AI video generator after hyperrealistic viral videos featuring the likenesses of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and copyrighted characters spark major backlash from Hollywood.
- Disney and Paramount Skydance are issuing cease and desist letters, demanding ByteDance remove infringing content and prevent future generation of protected characters and intellectual property.
- Hollywood trade groups including the Motion Picture Association and SAG-AFTRA are condemning the tool, with MPA CEO Charles Rivkin accusing ByteDance of copyright infringement at a massive scale that threatens millions of American jobs.