Tags: ByteDance

ByteDance is re‑launching its AI video model, Seedance 2.0, after a backlash over deepfake content. The company has partnered with a third‑party red‑team to embed visible watermarks, C2PA Content Credentials, and an advanced invisible watermark that can track content even after it leaves the platform. New safeguards block generation from real faces and copyrighted characters, addressing concerns raised by Hollywood studios and the Motion Picture Association. The rollout will start with paid users in Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, while the United States and India are omitted pending regulatory clarity. Lire la suite

OpenAI announced the closure of its Sora video app and related models just six months after launch, signaling a strategic pivot toward enterprise and productivity tools. Industry insiders on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast described the move as a sign of maturity, while also noting it serves as a reality check for the hype surrounding AI‑generated video. Concurrently, ByteDance’s planned rollout of its Seedance 2.0 video model has been delayed due to technical and legal challenges, underscoring broader uncertainties in the AI video space. Lire la suite

ByteDance announced that its new AI-powered audio and video model, Dreamina Seedance 2.0, is now available in the CapCut editing app. The model lets creators generate and edit short video clips using text prompts, images or reference footage, and supports a range of content types from cooking tutorials to action‑focused videos. The initial rollout covers several markets in Latin America and Southeast Asia, with plans to expand further. Safety features include restrictions on real‑face generation, intellectual‑property safeguards and an invisible watermark to identify AI‑created content. Lire la suite

After ByteDance halted the worldwide rollout of its Seedance 2.0 AI video generator, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Peter Welch sent a letter demanding the company immediately discontinue the app. The senators argued that the tool threatens American intellectual‑property rights and the economic livelihood of creators. They cited examples of the technology producing copyrighted scenes and likenesses without permission. ByteDance responded that it respects intellectual property and is strengthening safeguards, while the senators called the response a delay tactic and introduced legislation to give artists greater control over AI training data. Lire la suite

ByteDance has halted the worldwide rollout of its AI video generator Seedance 2.0 following immediate pushback from Hollywood studios. After its debut in China, the tool sparked cease-and-desist letters from Disney and Paramount Skydance and drew attention for a viral AI-created clip featuring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Concerns over the use of copyrighted material in training the model prompted ByteDance to say it is "taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorised use of intellectual property and likeness by users." The company’s global expansion plans remain on hold pending further clarification. Lire la suite

TikTok parent ByteDance has teamed with Singapore‑based Aolani Cloud to acquire NVIDIA's B200 AI processors for use in Malaysia, bypassing U.S. export restrictions. The partnership will provide roughly 36,000 chips and involves a hardware investment exceeding $2.5 billion, aimed at expanding AI research and development beyond China. NVIDIA says the arrangement complies with export rules, while Aolani asserts it follows all regulations and will serve multiple customers across Asia and the globe. Lire la suite

ByteDance introduced Seedance 2.0, a powerful AI video model that quickly captured attention in China’s AI community. Access remains limited to domestic users of the company’s AI apps, and the model is priced at just over $2 for a 15‑second clip. Early adopters report long queues and hours‑long wait times, even for paid subscribers, as the company struggles to allocate enough GPU resources. At the same time, major Hollywood studios have issued cease‑and‑desist letters alleging copyright infringement in the model’s outputs. Chinese creators and filmmakers have praised the technology, highlighting a stark contrast with reactions in the United States. Lire la suite

Irish filmmaker Ruairi Robinson posted short clips created with ByteDance’s new video‑generation model Seedance 2.0, showcasing a digital replica of a famous actor in elaborate action scenes. The striking visuals have drawn cease‑and‑desist letters from major Hollywood studios and the Motion Picture Association, alleging copyright and likeness infringement. ByteDance says it will strengthen safeguards, yet the model remains unavailable to the public and continues to raise questions about the ethics of AI‑generated content. Critics label the technology as a polished form of “slop” – impressive yet fundamentally dependent on unlicensed source material. Lire la suite

ByteDance's AI video generator Seedance 2.0 sparked controversy after a viral clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting went viral, prompting cease‑and‑desist letters from Disney and Paramount Skydance. The company announced it will strengthen safeguards to prevent unauthorized use of intellectual property, though details remain vague. Lire la suite

ByteDance released its new AI video model, Seedance 2.0, touting a leap in cinematic quality but admitting the technology is still imperfect. The rollout sparked a viral comment from Deadpool co‑writer Rhett Reese, who warned that AI could soon replicate Hollywood‑level movies. Industry groups, including the Motion Picture Association, accused ByteDance of ignoring copyright law. While studios like Disney are cautious about unlicensed AI tools, they have also partnered with OpenAI, granting Sora access to 200 characters for three years and investing $1 billion. The mixed response highlights tension between AI innovation and creator protection. Lire la suite

Hollywood studios and unions are condemning ByteDance’s new AI video model, Seedance 2.0, labeling it a tool for widespread copyright infringement. The Motion Picture Association, Disney, Paramount, SAG‑AFTRA and other groups have demanded that ByteDance halt the service and have issued cease‑and‑desist letters, citing unauthorized use of copyrighted characters and the likeness of real people. Critics warn the technology, which creates short videos from text prompts, lacks adequate safeguards and threatens creators’ rights and American jobs. Lire la suite

Hollywood studios and unions have sharply criticized ByteDance's new AI video model, Seedance 2.0, accusing it of massive copyright violations. The tool, released through ByteDance's Jianying and soon CapCut apps, lets users generate short videos from text prompts, but has already produced content featuring copyrighted characters and likenesses of real actors. Industry groups, including the Motion Picture Association and SAG‑AFTRA, have called for an immediate halt to the service, labeling it an attack on creators and a breach of U.S. copyright law. Lire la suite

The Walt Disney Company has issued a cease‑and‑desist letter to ByteDance, alleging that the company’s new generative‑AI tool, Seedance 2.0, incorporates Disney’s copyrighted characters without permission. Disney claims the AI model was trained on a “pirated library” of its intellectual property, citing examples that feature characters such as Spider‑Man, Darth Vader, and Peter Griffin. The dispute adds to a growing series of legal confrontations between Hollywood studios and AI developers, following earlier actions against Character.AI and Google, while Disney maintains a licensing partnership with OpenAI for the use of its content. Lire la suite

ByteDance announced Seedance 2.0, a next‑generation AI model that can create short video clips from combined text, image, audio, and video prompts. The system supports up to nine images, three video clips, and three audio clips per request and can produce 15‑second videos that respect camera movement, visual effects, and physical laws. Demonstrations include synchronized figure‑skating routines, anime‑style scenes, and celebrity‑lookalike cinematic fights. Seedance 2.0 is currently available through ByteDance’s Dreamina AI platform and the Doubao assistant, with no clear plan for TikTok integration. Lire la suite

ByteDance is promoting its overseas AI chatbot Cici in markets such as the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Indonesia through extensive advertising and influencer partnerships. The app, a counterpart to the popular Chinese chatbot Doubao, is region‑locked and unavailable in China or the United States. Cici relies on OpenAI’s GPT and Google’s Gemini for text generation while borrowing technology from other ByteDance platforms. It offers text and audio chat, image generation, and user‑created autonomous agents, but lacks music and video capabilities. Despite limited global brand visibility, Cici has climbed into the top‑20 free apps in several countries, reflecting ByteDance’s willingness to invest heavily in user acquisition. Lire la suite

ByteDance’s Doubao app has overtaken DeepSeek to become the most popular AI chatbot in China, drawing tens of millions of monthly active users. Designed with a friendly avatar and deep integration with Douyin, Doubao offers text, audio, video, image generation and customizable agents. Analysts credit ByteDance’s expertise in viral app design and seamless cross‑platform sharing for Doubao’s rapid growth, while DeepSeek remains a more minimalist text‑only service. The company is now exploring extensions of Doubao into smart glasses, cars and other devices, signalling an ambition to broaden the AI assistant beyond smartphones. Lire la suite

OpenAI is preparing a standalone social media app that mirrors TikTok’s vertical video feed but will feature only AI‑generated content. The app will be driven by the upcoming Sora 2 video model, limit clips to ten seconds or less, and include identity‑verification tools that let users’ likenesses be used in generated videos. Copyright safeguards will block certain content, and rights holders can opt out of having their material appear. Analysts suggest the move may capitalize on ongoing regulatory uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s U.S. operations. Lire la suite

President Donald Trump signed an executive order that moves TikTok’s U.S. operations into the hands of a group of American investors, including Oracle co‑founder Larry Ellison. Vice President JD Vance highlighted the involvement of multiple high‑profile investors such as Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch. The order seeks to shift control of the platform’s recommendation algorithm and data handling away from Chinese ownership, addressing national‑security concerns that have driven months of negotiations and deadline extensions. Lire la suite

President Donald Trump signed an executive order that formalizes a plan to transfer TikTok's U.S. operations to an American‑controlled entity. The deal will give a coalition of U.S. investors—including Oracle, Silver Lake, MGX, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch—a majority stake, while ByteDance retains a 19.9% share. Valued at roughly $14 billion, the new structure keeps Oracle in charge of the app’s algorithm and data security. Lawmakers raised concerns about algorithm control, but Vice President JD Vance and the president emphasized that the arrangement meets legal requirements and will treat all content fairly. Lire la suite

A potential deal to keep TikTok operating in the United States past the current deadline is moving forward. The arrangement would involve a consortium of U.S. firms, including Oracle, Silver Lake and Susquehanna International, taking control of the platform's American operations while ByteDance retains a minority board seat. The transition may be handled through an app update rather than a new download, but a new algorithm trained on fresh data is expected. Experts warn that technical hurdles and policy concerns could jeopardize the effort, leaving the platform's future in flux. Lire la suite