SAG-AFTRA Slams Seedance 2.0 After AI Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt Fight Video Blows Up Online
A wild AI-generated fight between Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt recently set the internet on fire, and now the fallout is getting very real. After the video went viral, and several other video were made and released, SAG-AFTRA stepped in to publicly condemn Seedance 2.0, the AI video model created by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok.
What started as a flashy tech demo has turned into a full-blown industry controversy involving actors, studios, and some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood.
The video, which was shared by filmmaker Ruairi Robinson on social media, showed a hyper-realistic Cruise and Pitt throwing punches in a scene that looked ripped straight out of a big-budget action movie. It didn’t take long for fans to start debating it, and it didn’t take long for industry professionals to push back.
Actors like Simu Liu and Deadpool & Wolverine co-writer Rhett Reese were already voicing concerns, but SAG-AFTRA made it official. The union released a statement on X condemning the technology and how it was used.
"SAG-AFTRA stands with the studios in condemning the blatant infringement enabled by Bytedance's new AI video model Seedance 2.0. The infringement includes the unauthorized use of our members' voices and likenesses," the statement read.
"This is unacceptable and undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood. Seedance 2.0 disregards law, ethics, industry standards and basic principles of consent. Responsible AI development demands responsibility, and that is nonexistent here."
The union is making it clear that this isn’t just about one viral clip. It’s about consent, compensation, and whether performers have control over their own faces and voices in an era where AI can replicate both in seconds.
SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin, known to fans for The Goonies and Stranger Things, has personal experience with this issue. His likeness was previously used in a Seedance-generated clip that reimagined his The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring character Samwise Gamgee suggesting to Frodo that they “take the Eagles straight to Mount Doom.” It may have played like a meme to some viewers, but for the actors involved, it’s a serious violation.
The studios aren’t sitting this one out either. According to Variety, The Walt Disney Company fired off a cease and desist letter to ByteDance general counsel John Rogovin on February 13.
The complaint reportedly accused the company of building "a pirated library of Disney's copyrighted characters from Star Wars, Marvel, and other Disney franchises, as if Disney's coveted intellectual property were free public domain clip art."
That’s a heavy accusation, especially considering how fiercely Disney protects its brands across Star Wars, Marvel, and beyond.
Following the backlash, ByteDance issued a response. As reported by Deadline, the company stated: “[ByteDance] respects intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0," it reportedly insisted.
"We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorised use of intellectual property and likeness by users."
Whether those safeguards will satisfy SAG-AFTRA or the studios is another question entirely. The entertainment industry is already in the middle of an AI reckoning, and moments like this pour fuel on an already tense situation.
For fans, the AI Cruise vs. Pitt fight might’ve looked like a cool glimpse at what tech can do. For actors and studios, well, some of them are freaking out over it. The crazy thing is, AI is just going to keep getting better and better.