No matter how hard you try, you simply cannot put the genie back in the bottle.
China's video-generation AI Seedance 2.0, dubbed the "second DeepSeek shock", is attracting massive global tech industry attention. However, its developers Niobiotics ByteDance have now suspended its much-anticipated global launch due to copyright controversies.
For the uninitiated, Seedance 2.0 is an image-to-video and text-to-video model which was released in China earlier this month. And the quality – along with its potential – is extraordinary. Realistic clips based on real actors, TV shows and films have been created and have gone viral across the internet.
At the end of February 2026, Snoop Dogg became the first major artist to release an official music video integrating cinematic sequence shots generated by Seedance 2.0 – not only bringing the tech giant’s name onto mainstream lips but perhaps indicating the beginning of a new era for music videos.
Earlier videos generated by Seedance 2.0, for example depicting Hollywood actors Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in a fight scene, have sparked controversy for their sophistication which some argue rivals real movie scenes.
However, some leading players in the creative industry are strongly opposing this next generation AI. Companies like Netflix, Disney, Paramount and the Motion Picture Association have sent successive letters to ByteDance demanding a halt to AI video generation.
Now ByteDance has delayed Seedance 2.0’s global release while it strengthens safety features related to copyright and deepfakes, measures which include blocking unauthorised generation of real individuals’ likenesses.
Actors, musicians, writers and content creators have all expressed deep concerns about the influence and use of AI which they fear will rob them of their livelihoods. And one of the problems here is the advances in AI are moving faster than the laws which should govern it.
But AI is a runaway train and you stand in its way at your peril. Of course, regulation is important, not least for ensuring this new innovation does not pervert the truth. The public needs to be able to differentiate between what is real and what is created. And the prospect of AI of Seedance 2.0’s quality in the hands of dictators is, to put it bluntly, horrifying.
But denial is not an option. AI is here and brings with it incredible opportunities in creativity, analysis and science. The issue is how to ensure the genie is not exploited.
At KAT Marketing, we keep our finger firmly on the pulse of the latest and greatest innovations, including in AI. For team training or for discussions and advice about the opportunities, pitfalls and many ways in which AI can be an asset to your business, get in touch.