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

The clip features footage of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting in a film scene

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.

Hollywood 'about to be revolutionised/decimated'

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."