Looks like Marvel actor Simu Liu and Deadpool and Wolverine co-writer Rhett Reese aren't the only ones who have a problem with Seedance 2.0's now-viral AI video of Brad Pitt fighting Tom Cruise...
Shortly after the scene was shared by filmmaker Ruairi Robinson on social media, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) took to X to condemn ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, those behind the AI video generation model.
"SAG-AFTRA stands with the studios in condemning the blatant infringement enabled by Bytedance's new AI video model Seedance 2.0. The infringement includes the unauthorized use of our members' voices and likenesses," the statement read. "This is unacceptable and undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood. Seedance 2.0 disregards law, ethics, industry standards and basic principles of consent. Responsible AI development demands responsibility, and that is nonexistent here."
SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin, who is known for his work in The Goonies and Stranger Things, had his face used in one of Seedance's earlier videos, in which his Lord of the Rings character Samwise Gamgee suggests to Frodo that they "take the Eagles straight to Mount Doom."
According to Variety, the House of Mouse sent a cease and desist letter to ByteDance general counsel John Rogovin on Friday, February 13, too, as it claimed the company was wrongfully building "a pirated library of Disney's copyrighted characters from Star Wars, Marvel, and other Disney franchises, as if Disney's coveted intellectual property were free public domain clip art."
The action prompted ByteDance to commit to halting its AI-generated Hollywood rip-offs, per Deadline. "[ByteDance] respects intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0," it reportedly insisted. "We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorised use of intellectual property and likeness by users."
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