The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has issued a strong call to TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, demanding they rein in their new AI model, which has sparked controversy by generating a deepfake video of Tom Cruise battling Brad Pitt. This incident has raised concerns about the unauthorized use of copyrighted material, with studios expressing their grievances. Charles Rivkin, the chairman and CEO of the MPA, stated that the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in large-scale unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works in just one day. He emphasized that ByteDance's actions disregard established copyright laws, which protect creators' rights and support numerous American jobs. Rivkin urged ByteDance to immediately halt their infringing activities.
The controversy stems from Seedance 2.0's ability to create realistic videos by repurposing copyrighted material from major studios like Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, and Paramount. Beyond the Cruise vs. Pitt fight, the model has also produced humorous remixes, such as an Avengers: Endgame scene and a Friends episode featuring otters playing Rachel and Joey. While the MPA's concerns are valid, this incident highlights the challenges of regulating AI content, especially as similar issues arose with OpenAI's Sora 2, which also faced backlash for generating copyrighted material.
As TikTok's U.S. operations were recently spun off into a separate joint venture, the MPA's call for action is timely. The MPA's statement underscores the importance of respecting copyright laws in the digital age, especially as AI technology continues to evolve and raise ethical questions.
