Why Hollywood is afraid of a Chinese artificial intelligence application
A new AI model from the Chinese company behind TikTok has disturbed Hollywood due to its potential impact on the creative industries.
This week, a new artificial intelligence model developed by the Chinese company ByteDance, known for TikTok, has shaken Hollywood not only because of its capabilities but also due to its implications for the creative industries. Named Seedance 2.0, this technology can generate high-quality cinematic videos complete with sound effects and dialogue from just a few written prompts. This breakthrough has sparked significant concern among major studios like Disney and Paramount, who openly accused ByteDance of copyright infringement, highlighting deeper anxieties surrounding the technology beyond legalities.
The online reaction has been substantial, with many clips purportedly created using Seedance featuring popular characters such as Spider-Man and Deadpool going viral. The rapid spread of these AI-generated clips has led to intense discussions about originality and ownership in the digital age. The emergence of such tools raises critical questions for creators, as the line between human and machine-generated content blurs. As Seedance continues to evolve, the implications for storytelling and content creation remain profound, underscoring the need for new frameworks to address these challenges.
Seedance was launched seemingly without fanfare in June 2025, but its second version, which surfaced eight months later, caused a significant stir within the industry. The combination of advanced AI capabilities and the massive reach of ByteDance places traditional studios in a precarious position, forcing them to grapple with the potential disruption of their business models. As they react to this shift, the entertainment landscape faces an uncertain future laden with innovation yet fraught with ethical dilemmas.