ByteDance Halts Global Expansion of Seedance 2.0 AI Video Model Following Hollywood Backlash

ByteDance has reportedly paused plans to expand the global rollout of its Seedance 2.0 AI video generation model, following criticism and legal pressure from major film studios. According to reporting by The Information, the Chinese technology company introduced the generative AI system in China earlier this year, where short videos created by the model quickly gained widespread attention online.

Some of the AI-generated clips featured digital likenesses of well-known actors, including a widely shared video depicting Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt, prompting strong reactions from the entertainment industry. Major studios reportedly sent cease-and-desist letters to ByteDance, with Disney’s legal team accusing the company of using copyrighted intellectual property without authorization.

ByteDance had originally planned to launch the model internationally in mid-March. The company is now delaying those plans while engineers and legal teams work to strengthen safeguards designed to protect intellectual property and address concerns raised by film studios