In recent years, text-to-video generation technology has advanced remarkably, transforming the landscape of digital media.
Just two years ago, we witnessed a disturbing clip where actor Will Smith’s face bizarrely merged with a bowl of spaghetti. Fast forward to 2025, and we now have a stunningly realistic video of him savoring a plate of pasta, complete with unsettling sound effects of squelching and chomping.
Now, ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, has taken the next step with its latest Seedance AI video generation tool. This innovation has quickly produced highly realistic footage featuring familiar scenes from “Lord of the Rings,” rapper Kanye West and Kim Kardashian engaging in a tense Mandarin language movie interaction, as well as Will Smith humorously battling a terrifying spaghetti monster, all of which have quickly gone viral on social media.
This technological breakthrough has caused a stir in Hollywood. Rhett Reese, the screenwriter behind “Deadpool,” expressed his concerns on social media, stating, “I hate to say it, but it’s likely over for us.”
His comments were in reaction to a strikingly realistic clip of actors Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise engaged in a fierce fight atop a partially collapsed bridge.
The emergence of advanced AI video generation tools has incited panic within the entertainment sector. Actors have voiced fears that they could eventually be replaced by technology. Influential figures in Hollywood have strongly criticized these developments, warning about potential threats to human creativity and the essence of artistic expression.
“In just one day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorized use of US copyrighted works on a massive scale,” stated Charles Rivkin, MPA’s chairman and CEO, in an official statement.
In response to the outcry, ByteDance has claimed to have disabled the option for users to generate content featuring real individuals. However, considering the ongoing challenges faced by OpenAI with its own video generation software, it remains uncertain how effective ByteDance’s preventive measures will ultimately be.
Beyond the realistic celebrity content, Rivkin has also accused the company of ignoring copyright infringement issues.
“By launching a service that operates without adequate safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is flouting established copyright laws that protect creators’ rights and support millions of American jobs,” he added, as reported by the BBC. “ByteDance should immediately halt its infringing activities.”
There is a consensus among many within the entertainment industry.
“Everything I’ve seen from this model (Seedance 2) is a copyright violation,” tweeted Peter Yang, a product manager at Roblox.
In conclusion, the launch of the latest AI tool brings to light an ongoing and contentious debate surrounding copyright issues and the autonomy of human performers in a rapidly evolving entertainment landscape.
More on AI video generators: Google’s New Video-Generating AI May Be the End of Reality as We Know It
