ByteDance quietly rolls out video generator SeeDance 2.0 globally
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The software was launched in China in February and is known for its ability to produce clips from simple text prompts.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING – Chinese artificial intelligence powerhouse and TikTok creator ByteDance has quietly rolled out its latest video generator SeeDance 2.0 worldwide, while its US rival OpenAI called time on a similar product.
The SeeDance 2.0 model was launched in China in February, both stunning and spooking the entertainment industry with its ability to produce near-Hollywood-quality clips from simple text prompts.
However, it has also sparked concerns over copyright infringement.
“We have further expanded Dreamina Seedance 2.0 in more markets in CapCut today, across Africa, South America, the Middle East and South-east Asia, with more regions coming soon,” CapCut, ByteDance’s popular video editing tool, posted on X on March 26.
It said the SeeDance 2.0 model would initially be available to some paid users.
The roll-out includes “firm safeguards” to prevent violations of its safety policies, including the unauthorised use of individuals’ likenesses or intellectual property, CapCut said.
Major Hollywood production studios including Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros and Netflix, have threatened legal action against Beijing-based ByteDance over accusations of copyright infringement.
Reports in March suggested that backlash had prompted ByteDance to pause SeeDance 2.0‘s global launch.
It was not immediately clear if ByteDance had resolved those legal issues. The United States is not among the current rollout markets.
ByteDance, which runs popular short video platforms TikTok and Douyin, has invested heavily in AI in recent years against a backdrop of increasing global regulatory scrutiny of such platforms.
ByteDance announced on March 20 the sale of Moonton, an important gaming asset, to a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign fund for more than US$6 billion (S$7.70 billion).
Moonton runs Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, one of South-east Asia’s most popular gaming titles.
ByteDance’s move coincides with a broader shift in the AI industry towards more “agentic” tools that focus on performing practical, real-life tasks.
US AI giant OpenAI said on March 24 it was shutting down its popular consumer-facing video-generating service Sora, a move widely understood to focus more on providing business users with agentic AI capacities. AFP
