ByteDance's newest AI tool, Seedance 2.0, can turn brief written instructions into film-quality video with sound and dialogue, reported the BBC.
What's happening?
Seedance's second version arrived eight months after its quiet debut and immediately grabbed attention across the entertainment industry. Clips made with the tool spread widely online, many featuring well-known characters from major film franchises.
"For the first time, I'm not thinking that this looks good for AI. Instead, I'm thinking that this looks straight out of a real production pipeline," said Jan-Willem Blom of Videostate, a creative studio.
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
Disney and Paramount fired off formal legal demands to ByteDance, accusing the company of using copyrighted characters without authorization. Japan opened a separate investigation after AI-generated clips of well-known anime characters spread across social media.
In response, ByteDance committed to "strengthen current safeguards."
Why is AI-generated video concerning?
The copyright battles are only part of the picture. Shaanan Cohney, who studies computing at the University of Melbourne, said companies may be willing to push legal boundaries for publicity.
"There's plenty of leeway to bend the rules strategically, to flout the rules for a while and get marketing clout," he said.
Beyond ownership disputes, tools like Seedance raise questions about trust. When anyone can produce a realistic-looking movie clip in seconds, telling real footage from fabricated content gets much harder.
AI video tools carry a steep environmental cost, too. Training and running these models demands enormous computing power, meaning data centers are consuming more electricity and water. In some regions, that energy still comes from coal and gas, putting added pressure on the grid.
AI does hold promise for improving clean energy systems and making other industries more efficient, but the growing power demand from tools like Seedance is a tradeoff worth paying attention to.
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$200 or more 💰 What can I do about AI-generated video?
Some studios are trying to work alongside AI companies rather than fight them. Disney reached a $1 billion licensing agreement with OpenAI, granting access to characters from its biggest franchises.
You can play a part, too. Support artists and creators by paying for original content when you can.
If you see AI-made videos that use characters or likenesses without credit, report them on the platform where you found them. Before sharing a clip, check whether it was made by a person or generated by a machine.
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