Hollywood wants Seedance banned and reportedly also wants to keep using it
ByteDance's AI video generator Seedance has become an unlikely flashpoint in Hollywood's ongoing struggle to define its relationship with generative AI. The Motion Picture Association sent what is reportedly its first-ever cease-and-desist letter to an AI company after a clip depicting AI-generated versions of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise circulated widely online. The letter signals that major studios and talent representatives are willing to take formal legal action when AI tools produce convincing likenesses of A-list actors without consent.
What makes the situation more complicated is what appears to be happening behind closed doors. Joel Kuwahara, a producer on The Simpsons, has stated publicly that studios are quietly incorporating Seedance into their workflows on a "don't ask, don't tell" basis. If accurate, this means some of the same organizations pushing back against the tool in public are simultaneously finding it useful enough to use in practice - just without official acknowledgment.
This kind of split behavior is not entirely surprising given where the industry stands. Generative video tools have matured quickly, and production teams are under constant pressure to reduce costs and turnaround times. Seedance, developed by ByteDance - the Chinese company behind TikTok - has drawn attention for producing relatively high-quality video output, making it attractive for pre-visualization, concept work, or other behind-the-scenes tasks where the results may never be seen by the public.
The core tension here involves intellectual property, likeness rights, and labor agreements that Hollywood has been renegotiating in the wake of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Those negotiations produced new rules around AI use, but enforcement is difficult when the tools in question are being used informally. The MPA's cease-and-desist is a notable escalation, but the reported internal adoption of Seedance suggests that legal pressure alone may not be enough to settle how - and whether - the industry draws a firm line on generative video.
