After spooking Hollywood, ByteDance will tweak safeguards on new AI model

TikTok creator ByteDance says that it is working to improve safeguards on its new AI video generator after Disney, Paramount, and Hollywood trade groups accused the tool of violating copyright protections. Concerns were raised after hyperrealistic videos generated by the Seedance 2.0 model went viral last week, with the likeness of actors, such as Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, and characters from Dragon Ball Z, Family Guy, and Pokémon.

“ByteDance respects intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0,” a ByteDance spokesperson said in a statement shared by CNBC. “We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorized use of intellectual property and likeness by users.”

ByteDance’s response comes after receiving complaints from major studios. In a cease and desist letter sent on Friday, Disney accused ByteDance of “hijacking” its protected characters by “reproducing, distributing, and creating derivative works” that feature them. Deadline reports that Paramount Skydance followed with its own cease and desist letter, demanding that ByteDance remove all infringing instances of Paramount content and prevent it from being generated in the future.

Hollywood trade groups have also weighed in, including the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and SAG-AFTRA talent union. MPA CEO Charles Rivkin issued a statement accusing ByteDance of engaging in copyright infringement at a “massive scale,” and disregarding well-established laws that underpin “millions of American jobs.” SAG-AFTRA said that its members’ voices and likenesses have been used by Seedance 2.0 without authorization.

“This is unacceptable and undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement to AP News. “Seedance 2.0 disregards law, ethics, industry standards and basic principles of consent. Responsible AI development demands responsibility, and that is nonexistent here.”