AI and the Oscars: New eligibility rules address ‘human authorship’

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced groundbreaking new rules Friday addressing artificial intelligence in filmmaking for the 2027 Academy Awards, emphasizing human creativity while acknowledging AI’s growing role in the industry.

The updated guidelines, part of the organization’s annual eligibility review, establish that while AI tools “neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination,” human authorship remains central to the creative process. The Academy will evaluate each film individually, considering “the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship” and may request additional information about how AI was used.

“Humans have to be at the center of the creative process,” said Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor. “As AI continues to evolve, our conversations around AI will do so along with that. But for the Academy, we are always going to put human authorship at the center of our awards eligibility process.”

For acting performances, only roles “demonstrably performed by humans with their consent” will be eligible for consideration. This rule comes as Hollywood grapples with emerging technology allowing digital recreations of performers, such as the upcoming AI-rendered Val Kilmer performance in “As Deep as the Grave.” The Academy declined to comment on whether Kilmer’s AI-generated performance would qualify, noting they would review such cases individually based on factors including how the actor is credited.

In the screenplay categories, rules are more definitive, stating that “screenplays must be human-authored to be eligible.” This marks the latest instance of the Academy adapting its standards to accommodate technological advances, following previous adjustments for innovations like sound, color, and computer-generated imagery.

The updates extend beyond AI considerations to include significant changes to the international film category, which has faced criticism for being outdated and susceptible to political interference. Films that win top awards at prestigious festivals including Cannes (Palme d’Or), Venice (Golden Lion), and Toronto (Platform) will now be eligible regardless of whether they were submitted as a country’s official entry.

“That really reflects our desire to honor the film’s creative team. That is how we approach other categories,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer. “And as we become more global, as the filmmaking community becomes more global, I think it’s really about a focus on the filmmakers and less a focus of the country.”

Under the new system, international films will be credited as the nominee rather than the country or region, with the award accepted by the filmmaker. The director’s name will also appear on the Oscar plaque “after the film title and country if applicable.”

This reform addresses situations like that of Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident,” which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes but wasn’t submitted as Iran’s official Oscar entry. Under the new rules, such acclaimed films would remain eligible based on festival recognition, bypassing potential political obstacles.

The Academy also announced that actors can now receive multiple nominations within a single category for different performances, bringing acting categories in line with other disciplines. This change mirrors existing practice in categories like directing, where Steven Soderbergh famously received nominations for both “Traffic” and “Erin Brockovich” in 2001.

Additionally, the organization clarified rules regarding original songs in end credits, stipulating that songs playing over credits must overlap with at least the last 15 seconds of the film to be eligible.

“We never stop looking at ways to improve our eligibility process,” Taylor said, reflecting the Academy’s ongoing efforts to adapt to a rapidly evolving film landscape where technology continues to reshape traditional boundaries of creative expression.