US senators demand Seedance 2.0 shut down “immediately” over viral AI videos

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A group of U.S. senators is urging ByteDance to quickly take down Seedance AI because of copyright issues with popular videos online.

These days, you can find videos and other content created by artificial intelligence all over the internet. There are many different apps creating this content, and the quality can often be surprisingly good – or surprisingly bad, leaving viewers unsure what to think.

Seedance 2.0, a new AI tool from TikTok’s creator, ByteDance, is now capable of producing impressive videos, including full anime episodes and sports recaps. While the technology has improved significantly, viewers can still often tell that the content isn’t made by a human.

The AI tool is facing criticism for potential copyright violations. Videos featuring recognizable figures like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, as well as content from Disney, have gained widespread attention, raising concerns about unauthorized use of copyrighted material.

US officials want ByteDance to shut down Seedance 2.0

Some U.S. senators are demanding the app be shut down right away because it’s violating copyright laws.

Senators Marsha Blackburn and Peter Welch have sent a letter to ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo, stating that a new technology appears to be the clearest case yet of copyright violation within a ByteDance product. They are demanding the immediate closure of ‘Seedance’ and the implementation of effective measures to stop further copyright infringement.

Seedance 2.0 directly harms American intellectual property rights and threatens the creative community’s ability to earn a living, as well as their constitutional rights.

The launch of Seedance 2.0 was irresponsible, ignoring the rights of artists and other creators. This has drawn criticism from experts and those in the creative community, and now the project is facing significant legal challenges because of widespread copyright violations and the misuse of deepfake technology.

So, back in February, Disney sent ByteDance a warning about copyright stuff. Basically, they said people were using characters and content without permission. ByteDance’s response was that they’d beef up their systems to try and stop users from doing that – like, make sure no one’s illegally using other people’s stuff on their platform.

In December, Disney signed a $1 billion agreement with Sora, granting them exclusive rights to use its AI technology for creating clips featuring Disney properties.

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2026-03-18 16:21