SAG-AFTRA, which represents around 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists, and other entertainment and media professionals, has released a statement condemning the blatant infringement enabled by Bytedance’s new AI video model Seedance 2.0.
Below you can read their full statement:
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. 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.
Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), issued the following statement on the launch of Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0.
“In a single day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale. By launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is disregarding well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and underpins millions of American jobs. ByteDance should immediately cease its infringing activity.”
This was a 2 line prompt in seedance 2. If the hollywood is cooked guys are right maybe the hollywood is cooked guys are cooked too idk. pic.twitter.com/dNTyLUIwAV
— Ruairi Robinson (@RuairiRobinson) February 11, 2026
This comes after Irish film-maker Ruairí Robinson posted a 15-second AI-created video made with Seedance 2.0, showing Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting on a bridge.
In Ruairí Robinson’s post, he captioned it with ‘This was a 2 line prompt in seedance 2. If the hollywood is cooked guys are right maybe the hollywood is cooked guys are cooked too idk.’
AI systems are trained on data taken from the open web, and this includes copyright-protected content, such as film clips. We have already reached a tipping point where, if these AI services are allowed to continue without proper legislation and accountability, the future for a lot of us in this industry is arguably going to get a lot bleaker.
