AI-generated video of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting sparks copyright alarm in Hollywood

A 15-second video depicting Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting atop a ruined building at dusk, generated by artificial intelligence, has triggered immediate concern and criticism across Hollywood's major studios and industry organizations.

The video was created using Seedance 2.0, a generative video AI model developed by ByteDance, the Chinese technology company that owns TikTok. Irish director Ruairí Robinson, an Oscar nominee for the short film "Fifty Percent Grey," shared the video online, noting it was produced with only a two-line text prompt and a single button click.

The 15-second clip contains production elements typical of major Hollywood films: elaborate camera movements, choreographed fight sequences, clear sound effects, and atmospheric music. The realism of the output represents a significant advancement over previous AI-generated video content, which has often been criticized for poor quality.

Since the video began circulating last week, Seedance 2.0 has been used to generate additional copyrighted content online, including images of characters from Star Wars and Marvel franchises. The Motion Picture Association, which represents major U.S. studios including Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and Netflix, released statements denouncing what it characterized as massive copyright violations and breaches of ethical standards.

On Friday, Disney, which owns Marvel and Star Wars, sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance regarding the tool's use in generating protected content. Multiple entertainment companies have joined the MPA in formally objecting to the technology's deployment and the proliferation of unauthorized deepfakes featuring established film and television characters.

The incident has reignited broader industry concerns about artificial intelligence's role in filmmaking and the protection of intellectual property rights in an era of rapidly advancing generative technologies.