SAG-AFTRA has become the latest entity to condemn AI productions containing footage of real actors and references to already existing films.
Calling the eerily realistic creations a “blatant violation,” the entertainment union denounced ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok and innovator behind the viral Seedance AI model.
“SAG-AFTRA stands with the studios in condemning the blatant violation enabled by ByteDance’s new AI video model, Seedance 2.0,” the organization’s official statement revealed.
“This offense includes the unauthorized use of our members’ voices and likenesses. This is unacceptable and undermines the ability of human talent to earn a living. Seedance 2.0 does not follow the law, ethics, industry standards, and fundamental principles of consent. Responsible development of AI requires accountability, and that does not exist here.”
Additionally, SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin was also one of the stars whose image was exploited in the recent Seedance trend.
His character Lord of the Rings The Samwise Gamgee franchise appeared in one of the AI videos circulating online.
The footage, which is no longer available due to a copyright strike, was shared on X (formerly Twitter) with the description “LOTR in 15 seconds.”
Meanwhile, the Seedance AI trend has been criticized by various players in the entertainment industry, including Disney.
According to VarietyThe company sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance general counsel John Rogovin on Friday, citing “deliberate, pervasive and completely unacceptable” use of intellectual property owned by Disney.
While the current discourse was initially kicked off by the AI’s creation of an action sequence featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, shared on
