Chinese tech giant ByteDance has reportedly decided to suspend the global launch of its latest AI video generation mode, SeeDance 2.0, globally. This comes after the company faced legal notices from major Hollywood studios over copyright violations. ByteDance’s new AI model is currently only available in China.
As per a report by The Information, ByteDance will not be releasing SeeDance 2.0 globally, at least for now. The company had initially aimed for a mid-March global rollout. ByteDance is also the parent company of popular social media platform TikTok.
What is SeeDance 2.0?
Last month, Chinese tech giant ByteDance stunned Hollywood and filmmakers around the world. The company’s new AI video generation too, SeeDance 2.0, could easily create scenes that resembled those from iconic Hollywood films.
User-generated AI videos included a viral clip featuring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. This sparked outrage among Hollywood studios who claimed that the company was allowing such creations without their permission. Other videos included clips from franchises like Star Wars.
Disney, one of the most vocal opponents, accused ByteDance of using its characters to train SeeDance 2.0 and distributing copyrighted materials as public-domain art. The American media giant sent a cease-and-desist letter to the company last month.
Another Hollywood studio, Paramount Skydance, described ByteDance’s actions as “blatant infringement” of its intellectual property, specifically naming titles including “South Park,” “Star Trek,” and “The Godfather” in its legal notice.
ByteDance claims it will prevent IP violation
In response to the mounting legal pressure, ByteDance has previously stated that it would take steps to prevent such violations of intellectual property via SeeDance 2.0.
Since unveiling SeeDance 2.0 in February, ByteDance has positioned the platform as a tool for professional film, advertising, and e-commerce content creation. The system is promoted for its ability to process text, images, audio, and video simultaneously, with the goal of reducing production costs for businesses.
Many have even feared that ByteDance could be the end of Hollywood and the film industry as we know it.
