A new artificial intelligence (AI) model, Seedance 2.0, developed by ByteDance (the Chinese company behind TikTok), has caused significant alarm in Hollywood due to its ability to generate cinema-quality video from simple text prompts, leading to accusations of copyright infringement.

• Seedance 2.0 can create videos with sound effects and dialogue, with clips featuring characters like Spider-Man and Deadpool going viral.
• Major studios such as Disney and Paramount have accused ByteDance of copyright infringement, with Japan also investigating.
• The technology is praised for combining text, visuals, and audio in a single system, creating realistic complex action sequences.
• The widespread use of copyrighted characters has led to legal challenges, mirroring previous lawsuits against OpenAI and Microsoft.
• For small firms, Seedance offers the potential to create ambitious productions on limited budgets, potentially elevating genres like sci-fi and action.
• China is rapidly advancing in AI, with other models like DeepSeek also making significant impacts, positioning the country at the forefront of AI development.