Seedance 2.0, developed by ByteDance, allows for the generation of high-quality videos with sound effects and dialogues based on minimal instructions, as reported by the BBC.
Some of the videos created using Seedance, featuring well-known characters such as Spider-Man and Deadpool, have gone viral on the internet.
Major studios, including Disney and Paramount, have already accused ByteDance of copyright infringement, but the concerns surrounding this technology extend beyond just legal aspects.
What is Seedance and why is it generating such interest?
The initial launch of Seedance in June 2025 was relatively quiet; however, the second version released eight months later attracted significant attention.
“Right now, I don’t see anything positive for AI in this. It seems like a direct intrusion into the production process,” notes Jan-Willem Blom from Videostate.
Western AI systems have made strides in creating impressive images, but Seedance has managed to combine all these achievements into one product, he adds.
Seedance, like other AI tools such as Midjourney and Sora from OpenAI, can create videos based on short text prompts. In some cases, just one prompt is enough to produce a quality video.
“This is particularly impressive as the system combines text, graphics, and sound in one solution,” says AI ethics researcher Margaret Mitchell.
One of the benchmarks for Seedance's effectiveness was creating a video where Will Smith eats spaghetti.
The company was able to create an astonishingly realistic version of Smith enjoying pasta, as well as viral videos where he battles a spaghetti monster—all of which look like a high-budget film.
Many professionals and filmmakers agree that Seedance opens a new era in video content creation technology.
David Kwok, head of the Singaporean animation studio Tiny Island Productions, notes that the complex action scenes created by Seedance look more realistic than those of competitors.
“It feels like there’s a cinematographer or director specializing in action scenes working right next to you.”
Opportunities and challenges
However, Seedance faces challenges related to copyright, which is becoming an increasingly relevant issue in the AI era.
Experts warn that companies working with AI often prioritize technology over human labor, creating powerful tools and using data without permission.
Disney and Paramount expressed dissatisfaction with the use of Seedance characters protected by copyright, such as Spider-Man and Darth Vader. They sent letters to Seedance demanding that it cease using their content. Japan has also begun an investigation into copyright infringement after AI-generated videos featuring famous anime characters became popular.
ByteDance stated that it is taking steps to “enhance existing protective measures,” but this is not a unique situation for the Chinese company.
In 2023, the New York Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming they used its materials without permission to train their AI models. Last year, Reddit sued Perplexity, accusing the company of illegally collecting user data. Disney also expressed similar concerns regarding Google.
Margaret Mitchell emphasizes that clear labeling of content to prevent deception and increase trust in AI is more important than creating “more appealing” videos.
Therefore, developers need to create systems that manage licensing and payments, as well as provide clear mechanisms for disputing unauthorized use, she adds.
For example, Disney signed a $1 billion contract with OpenAI, the developer of Sora, to legally use characters from “Star Wars,” Pixar, and Marvel.
Shaanan Koni, a researcher from the University of Melbourne, believes that the developers of Seedance were aware of the potential copyright issues related to using Western intellectual property but still took the risk.
“There are many opportunities for strategic circumvention of the rules to temporarily violate them and gain marketing impact,” he adds.
Meanwhile, for small companies, Seedance is becoming an indispensable tool that cannot be ignored.
Kwok from Tiny Island Productions notes that AI of this level allows companies like his to create films that would otherwise be too expensive.
He points to the rapidly growing market for short videos and micro-series in Asia, where projects are often filmed on a limited budget—around $140,000 for 80 episodes, each under two minutes.
Previously, such projects were limited to family or romantic dramas to cut costs, but now, according to Kwok, AI is capable of elevating low-budget projects to a new level, turning them into science fiction, historical dramas, and action films.
China on the path to technological leadership?
Seedance once again highlights the growing influence of Chinese tech companies.
“This indicates that Chinese developments are, at least, at the forefront of modern technology,” claims Koni. “If ByteDance was able to create this seemingly out of nothing, what other achievements can Chinese companies offer?”
Last year, another Chinese AI model, DeepSeek, made waves with its low-cost processing of large volumes of data, quickly surpassing ChatGPT and becoming the most downloaded app in the US App Store.
Over the past year, Beijing has been actively developing AI and robotics as part of its economic strategy, investing in advanced chips, automation, and generative AI, aiming for technological superiority over the US.
While Seedance 2.0 is in the spotlight, other Chinese companies have introduced their new generative AI tools ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, albeit at a less noticeable level.
Chinese analyst Bill Bishop noted that the Spring Festival is increasingly becoming an “artificial intelligence holiday,” with companies planning to launch new applications during a time when millions of people are at home experimenting with new programs.
He also predicted that 2026 could be a key year for the mass adoption of AI in China, including not only chatbots but also AI agents for processing transactions, programming tools, and video content creators that regularly use AI.
