Seedance 2.0

Seedance 2.0
DeveloperByteDance
Initial releaseJune 2025 (2025-06)
Stable release
Seedance 2.0 / February 2026 (2026-02)
TypeText-to-video model
Websiteseed.bytedance.com/en/seedance2_0

Seedance 2.0 is an image-to-video and text-to-video model developed by ByteDance.

History

Seedance was first released in June 2025.[1] Seedance 2.0 was released in February 2026.[2][3] Shortly after it was released, realistic clips based on real actors, TV shows and films went viral across the Internet. Clips included Friends characters reimagined as otters, a fight between Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, and Will Smith engaged in battle with a red-eyed spaghetti monster.[4]

It was quickly denounced after release by the Motion Picture Association for copyright infringement.[5] On February 13, 2026, The Walt Disney Company sent ByteDance a cease and desist letter alleging that the model had been trained with Disney works without any compensation.[6] Paramount Skydance accused the company of engaging in "blatant infringement" of its intellectual property including Star Trek, South Park, and Dora the Explorer.[7] On February 16, 2026, ByteDance announced that it "respects intellectual property rights" and "heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0."[8] It said it would strengthen the safeguards used to prevent the violation of intellectual property rights.[9]

After viewing the clip of the fight between Pitt and Cruise that went viral, Rhett Reese, who is the co-writer of Deadpool & Wolverine and Zombieland announced that on social media "I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us,"[10] further stating that "In next to no time, one person is going to be able to sit at a computer and create a movie indistinguishable from what Hollywood now releases."[5]

After seeing the Pitt/Cruise fight scene software developer and creative professional Aron Peterson[11] questioned if the scene was purely AI generated or if Bytedance was using a video to video workflow behind the scenes as Seedance's website provided several examples of R2V workflows including a fight that was shot with stuntmen against a green screen backdrop. Regarding claims that 'Hollywood is cooked' his blog post[12] concluded that the film industry has nothing to worry about because the best AI video generators including Seedance 2.0 are still replete with many errors and low quality artifacts.

The general public in China is generally enthusiastic about Seedance. The entertainment industry in China has reacted far much more positively than Hollywood to AI generally. The Chinese film director Jia Zhangke posted a video which remade classic scenes from his films that he said was created with ByteDance's Doubao chatbot. Writing on Weibo, he stated that "I don’t worry about whether technology will replace movies," and that "What actually matters is how the technology is used by people."[13]

As of March 2026, access to ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 is currently restricted to existing users of its domestic Chinese apps, such as Dreamina (即梦), Spark, Doubao, and Xiaoyunque limiting availability to the mainland. This geographical restriction has led to an unofficial market for accounts, as international users seek ways to test the model.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "What is Seedance? The Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panic". BBC News. 2026-02-19. Retrieved 2026-03-10.
  2. ^ Baptista, Eduardo (13 February 2026). "ByteDance's new AI video model goes viral as China looks for second DeepSeek moment". Reuter's. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Seedance 2.0 : l'IA générative qui fait de nouveau trembler Hollywood". Le Point.fr (in French).
  4. ^ "Seedance: Hollywood studios take aim at 'ultra-realistic' AI video tool". BBC News. February 13, 2026.
  5. ^ a b Maddaus, Gene (February 13, 2026). "After AI Video of 'Tom Cruise' Fighting 'Brad Pitt' Goes Viral, Motion Picture Association Denounces 'Massive' Infringement on Seedance 2.0".
  6. ^ Fischer, Sara (13 February 2026). "Scoop: Disney sends cease and desist letter to ByteDance over Seedance 2.0". Axios. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  7. ^ Spangler, Todd (February 15, 2026). "Paramount Sends ByteDance Cease-and-Desist Letter Over Seedance AI Videos, Alleging Intellectual Property Infringement".
  8. ^ Team, TechDonner (2026-02-20). "What is Seedance 2.0 and Why it is Trending on the internet". Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  9. ^ "Seedance: ByteDance to curb AI app after Disney legal threat". BBC News. February 16, 2026.
  10. ^ Milmo, Dan; Pulver, Andrew (February 13, 2026). "'It's over for us': release of new AI video generator Seedance 2.0 spooks Hollywood" – via The Guardian.
  11. ^ "That AI Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise fight? It may not be as "AI" as it seems". Newsweek. 2026-02-20. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  12. ^ "Is it all over for filmmakers?". SHOKUNIN STUDIO. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  13. ^ https://www.wired.com/story/made-in-china-bytedances-ai-ambitions-are-being-hampered-by-compute-restraints/
  14. ^ https://www.wired.com/story/made-in-china-bytedances-ai-ambitions-are-being-hampered-by-compute-restraints/


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