The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has officially denounced Seedance 2.0, the newest artificial intelligence video generator developed by ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok. The MPA's strong condemnation comes just a day after the service's release, alleging that Seedance 2.0 has unleashed a massive flood of copyright infringement.

ByteDance had previously touted Seedance 2.0 as representing a “substantial leap in generation quality” compared to its predecessor. Indeed, videos created using the service have quickly gone viral across various social media platforms, most notably one depicting actors Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt engaged in a rooftop fight.

An MPA spokesperson issued a statement asserting, “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.”

The statement further criticized ByteDance, stating, “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.”

This isn't the first time the trade association has voiced similar concerns. The MPA previously made a comparable comment last fall when OpenAI released Sora 2, which also led to a significant amount of AI-enabled copyright infringement.

At that time, the MPA urged OpenAI to “take immediate and decisive action to address this issue,” emphasizing that “Well-established copyright law safeguards the rights of creators and applies here.” OpenAI demonstrated responsiveness to these concerns, implementing safeguards that made it considerably more challenging for users to violate studio copyrights.

Subsequently, Disney even entered into a licensing agreement with OpenAI, permitting the use of 200 characters on Sora 2, a move many viewed as a potential blueprint for other studios.

However, it remains uncertain whether ByteDance will adopt a similar cooperative approach or if copyright owners will be compelled to initiate formal takedown notices and infringement lawsuits. ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the matter.

The emergence of Seedance 2.0 and its viral content has sparked reactions ranging from doom to resignation within the creative community. Rhett Reese, the writer behind the “Deadpool” films, commented on the Cruise-Pitt video, expressing profound concern: “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 video was generated by Ruairi Robinson, an Irish film and commercial maker. Robinson revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that the video was created with “a 2 line prompt in seedance 2.” He mused, “If the hollywood is cooked guys are right maybe the hollywood is cooked guys are cooked too idk.”

In response to the backlash he received for the video, Robinson later questioned, “Today’s question is: should i be killed for typing 2 lines and pressing a button.” Beyond the Cruise-Pitt example, other Seedance videos circulating online include AI-generated riffs on popular franchises such as “Spider Man,” “Titanic,” “Stranger Things,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “Shrek.”