SAG-AFTRA Criticizes Seedance 2.0 Following Viral Tom Cruise AI Fight Video: “This Undermines Human Talent”

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It seems that Marvel actor Simu Liu and Deadpool and Wolverine co-writer Rhett Reese aren’t the only ones concerned about Seedance 2.0’s viral AI video featuring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise…

After filmmaker Ruairi Robinson shared the scene on social media, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) took to X to criticize ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, for its AI video generation model.

“SAG-AFTRA stands with the studios in condemning the blatant infringement enabled by ByteDance’s new AI video model Seedance 2.0. This includes the unauthorized use of our members’ voices and likenesses,” the statement said. “This is unacceptable and undermines the ability of human talent to earn a living. Seedance 2.0 ignores legal, ethical, and industry standards, as well as basic principles of consent. Responsible AI development requires accountability, which is clearly lacking here.”

SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin, known for his roles in The Goonies and Stranger Things, had his likeness used in one of Seedance’s earlier videos, where his character Samwise Gamgee suggests to Frodo that they “take the Eagles straight to Mount Doom.”

According to reports, Disney sent a cease and desist letter to ByteDance’s general counsel on February 13, claiming the company was improperly creating “a pirated library of Disney’s copyrighted characters from Star Wars, Marvel, and other franchises, treating Disney’s valuable intellectual property as if it were free public domain clip art.”

This prompted ByteDance to pledge to stop its AI-generated Hollywood imitations. “[ByteDance] respects intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0,” the company reportedly stated. “We are taking steps to enhance current safeguards to prevent unauthorized use of intellectual property and likenesses by users.”

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