“It’s Likely Over for Us”: AI Video Shakes Hollywood

An AI-generated video showing the likenesses of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting on a Los Angeles overpass is fueling fresh fears in Hollywood about artificial intelligence replacing human talent.

The 15-second clip was shared Tuesday by Oscar-nominated Irish filmmaker Ruairí Robinson. In the caption, Robinson said the video was created using “a 2 line prompt in seedance 2.” The post quickly went viral, racking up more than 1.4 million views.

Seedance 2.0 is a new AI video tool developed by ByteDance, the Chinese tech company that also owns TikTok.

Robinson later posted a second AI-generated clip showing digital versions of Cruise and Pitt — who famously starred together in Interview With the Vampire — fighting in a similar setting. This time, the characters spoke in realistic-sounding voices that closely resembled the real actors.

In the video, the AI version of Pitt accuses Cruise’s character of killing Jeffrey Epstein. The AI Cruise responds by referencing “Russia operations” before the fight continues. That clip has drawn more than 3 million views.

The videos sparked backlash from SAG-AFTRA, which represents about 170,000 actors and performers worldwide. In a statement, the union accused ByteDance of enabling copyright infringement and using actors’ voices and likenesses without permission.

“SAG-AFTRA stands with the studios in condemning the blatant infringement enabled by Bytedance's new AI video model Seedance 2.0,” the union said. “The infringement includes the unauthorized use of our members' voices and likenesses. This is unacceptable and undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood.”

The union added that responsible AI development requires consent and ethical standards, which it claims are lacking in this case.

Screenwriter Rhett Reese, known for writing the Deadpool films, shared the first video with a blunt reaction: “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.”

Reese later clarified his comments, saying he is “terrified” about AI’s growing role in creative industries. He said many people he knows could lose jobs they love, including himself.

“I am not at all excited about AI encroaching into creative endeavors,” Reese wrote. “When I wrote ‘It’s over,’ I didn’t mean it to sound cavalier or flippant.”

He said he was especially shaken by how professional and realistic the AI-generated fight looked.

“That’s exactly why I’m scared,” Reese said. “My glass half empty view is that Hollywood is about to be revolutionized or decimated.”

The viral clips have added to ongoing debates in the entertainment industry over how artificial intelligence should be regulated — and how to protect actors, writers and other creatives from having their work and identities replicated without consent.