A hyper-realistic video of just 15 seconds, in which Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt appear to fight on a rooftop at sunset, has caused unrest and harsh reactions in the American film industry. The clip, created entirely with the help of artificial intelligence, was enough to reignite fears about the future of Hollywood and the loss of thousands of jobs, reports The New York Times.
Video source: X
The video was made by Irish filmmaker Ruairi Robinson using Seedance 2.0, an advanced AI-based video generation tool developed by Chinese company ByteDance. The result was so realistic that it was compared to a big-budget Hollywood production: wide shots, well-choreographed stunts, clear sound and a dramatic soundtrack.
Industry backlash: ‘It’s just scary’
The impact was not long in coming. Rhett Reese, screenwriter known for the franchise “Deadpool”, stated that the video provoked him “a chill down the spine”.
“For those of us who have dedicated our lives to this industry, it’s scary. I can imagine it’s going to cost jobs everywhere.”he said.
Seedance 2.0 was released recently, shortly after a previous version went largely unnoticed. According to the company, the new tool offers “physical accuracy, realism and controllability”being intended “professional-level creative scenarios”. Users can achieve spectacular results with just a few simple instructions.
After its launch, the platform was quickly overrun with viral content: an alternate ending for Game of Thrones, an imaginary video of Kendrick Lamar and Drake making up on The Tonight Show, or unexpected appearances by famous characters from horror movies. Even Robinson continued to post clips of Pitt and Cruise fighting robots or fantasy characters.
Hollywood Strikes Back: Allegations of Copyright Infringement
The reaction of the big players was not long in coming. Charles Rivkin, president of the Motion Picture Association, has publicly called on ByteDance to immediately cease copyright infringement activities “on a massive scale”.
The Human Artistry Campaign, a global coalition advocating the ethical use of artificial intelligence, also warned that such creations violate artists’ fundamental rights to their image and identity.
The Disney giant went even further by sending an official cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, accusing the company of providing Seedance with a “hacked library” with copyrighted characters.
Actors and unions sound the alarm
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, leader of the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, emphasized that digital replication of actors cannot be done without their explicit consent.
“The real problem is losing control over a person’s image, voice and likeness,” he explained.
However, there are also skeptical voices. Heather Anne Campbell, producer and writer on the animated series Rick and Morty, thinks the excitement is overblown.
“We haven’t seen anything really exciting or groundbreaking yet. So far, it’s just a lot of noise.” she said.
Still, the fear remains: If studios see AI as a shortcut to cutting costs, the impact on the industry and creators could be profound and lasting.
