Bytedance latest AI model raise copyright concerns over use of Stephen Chow's image

The Chinese tech giant ByteDance's latest artificial intelligence video model Seedance 2.0 has triggered concerns over copyright infringement  shortly after its pre-release last weekend, particularly with an AI-generated video of Stephen Chow Sing-chi "fighting" Bruce Lee, which received over a thousand likes.

This model, featured with enhanced capabilities in transforming a prompt into a short story sequence with sound and consistent visuals in a short period, has drawn much attention and praises during its testing phase.

However, it has led to the widespread generation of videos featuring celebrity images and achieved significant viral reach. 

Chris Chan, Stephen Chow's agent, publicly questioned on a Chinese social media platform: "Do these constitute copyright infringement, especially given their widespread dissemination these past two days?”

He added that he believes the creators have already profited, and questioned whether the platform simply allows users to generate and publish them without any oversight.

In response to growing concerns, ByteDance made urgent optimizations based on feedback and later announced not to support inputting real-life photos or videos as the main reference to ensure a healthy and sustainable creative environment.