Bytedance said will be implementing safeguards on its Seedance 2.0 generative AI following cease-and-desist letters from Disney and Paramount.
“We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorised use of intellectual property and likeness by users,” the company shared in a Monday statement. They further noted they respect “intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0.”
It is currently unclear exactly what these safeguards will look like, however.
The update comes after Disney, Paramount, SAG-AFTRA and the MPA all condemned the Chinese tech giant for its AI video-making tool that allowed users to create very realistic versions of classic films — such as “Star Wars,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Mission: Impossible” and even just celebrities themselves.
Disney accused ByteDance of “hijacking” its characters in a “willful, pervasive and totally unacceptable” virtual smash-and-grab, adding, “We believe this is just the tip of the iceberg – which is shocking considering Seedance has only been available for a few days.”
Paramount sent a similar message over the weekend in its own cease-and-desist letter: “It is self-evident that our company’s intellectual property was used to train the models that underlie these tools. Such training was also done without our consent and is a violation of the law.”
“The infringement includes the unauthorized use of our members’ voices and likenesses,” SAG-AFTRA echoed last week. “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 A.I. development demands responsibility, and that is nonexistent here.”
