The organization behind the Oscars is talking about the use of artificial intelligence in performances and scripts for the first time in 2027. Oscar Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released updates to many categories on Friday, emphasizing the importance of human authorship without banning AI.The new rules also include significant changes to the much-criticized international film category, including eligibility for films that have won top prizes at prestigious film festivals such as Cannes, Venice and Toronto.“As we do every year, we’ve made some very smart and progressive changes,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer told The Associated Press. “Obviously, as the academy becomes more global, we have to think about how we invite international films into the Oscar conversation.”
AI and the Oscars
As part of its annual review of Oscar eligibility rules, the academy is tackling one of the biggest concerns of the global filmmaking community: creative artificial intelligence.The new rules state that “tools neither help nor hurt the chances of a nomination” and the academy and each branch will “judge achievement based on the degree to which a human being was the core of the creative process in selecting the award-winning film.” They also reserve the right to ask the film crew for more information about the nature of AI use and “human authorship.”““The human being must be at the center of the creative process,” said Lynette Howell Taylor, president of the academy. “As AI continues to evolve, so will the conversation around AI. But in terms of academia, we will always put human authorship at the center of our award-winning process.”In terms of performance eligibility, only roles performed by “humans with their consent” will be considered. The organization declined to comment on whether Val Kilmer’s next AI-rendered performance would be eligible, as the filmmakers have yet to submit it for consideration.A lookalike is not an actor, for example, but it could also be how Kilmer is credited in the film: As Val Kilmer or something else? Andy Serkis as Gollum could also be seen as an example of a human collaborating with technology in the final performance.“We’ll look at that on a case-by-case basis,” Kramer said. “We, like our industry and the world, will evaluate it every year.”There is less ambiguity in the screenplay categories, where the rules state that “screenplays must be human-authored to be eligible.”The film academy has often had to revise its standards to meet current technological advances, be it sound, color or computer generated images (CGI).
Changes to international film eligibility
As its members have grown more international, there are increasing calls to renew the category of international cinema, which was constantly criticized as unfair, outdated and subject to political interference. This has meant that independent and dissident filmmakers are often not prominent enough to represent their country.Last year’s winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, for example, was “It Was Just an Accident”, by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, which was not officially submitted for Iran’s 98th Oscars, but France’s.Under the new rules, “It Was Just an Accident” could be considered a contender because it won the top prize at Cannes and not because a country chose to present it. In addition to the Cannes Palme d’Or, the Venice Golden Lion and the Toronto Platform, other festivals with qualifying awards include the Berlin International Film Festival’s Golden Bear, the Busan International Film Festival’s Best Film Award, and the Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Grand Jury Prize.All international films will also be nominated as nominees, not country or region, and the award will be accepted by the filmmaker. The Oscar plaque will also feature the director’s name, “following the film’s title and country, if applicable.”“This really reflects our desire to honor the film’s creative team. That’s how we approach the other categories,” Kramer said. “And as we become more global, as the filmmaking community becomes more global. I think it’s more focused on the filmmakers and less on the country.”
Actors can now be nominated for more than one award in a category
The acting branch is competing with the rest of the academy to allow an actor to be nominated for more than one performance in a single category. For example, if this year’s Best Actor winner Michael B. Jordan has two outstanding performances in two different films in 2026, he could earn two Best Actor nominations.This is standard practice in the other categories. In 2001, at the 73rd Academy Awards, Steven Soderbergh was nominated for best director for both “Traffic” and “Erin Brockovich,” winning the former.
And about those original songs in the end credits
The organization also clarified the eligibility of original songs used in the closing credits of a film. For songs that play the first music cue during the end credits, that song must overlap at least the last 15 seconds of the film before the credits roll. This year’s original song winner, “Golden” was a key part of “KPop Demon Hunters” and was used several times throughout the film.“We never stop looking at ways to improve our eligibility process,” Taylor said.
