ByteDance Pledges to Curb AI Video Generator Tool Seedance After Legal Threats From Hollywood

ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant that owns TikTok outside the U.S., said it will “strengthen current safeguards” on its AI video-generating tool Seedance, following threats of legal action from Disney and other Hollywood studios over the use of their intellectual property in short-form videos that are taking over social media.

Seedance 2.0 has caused an earthquake in the West, after the latest iteration of the tool has seen the rapid creation and proliferation of hyper-realistic short-form videos featuring some of world’s biggest movie and TV stars, as well as characters from Marvel, DC, Star Wars and other popular franchises.

Such has been the spread of Seedance videos that Hollywood has been quick to fire back. On Friday, Disney sent a cease and desist letter to ByteDance over the infringement of its IP.

The reaction from other major Hollywood organizations has been just as swift and vehement. The Motion Picture Association,…