The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has taken action in response to the advance of artificial intelligence in film: starting with the 99th Academy Awards, No film with AI-generated performances or scripts will be eligible to compete in the categories of interpretation and writing. The organization puts in writing something that until recently seemed obvious, but which technology has called into question.
The new rules, which will affect films released in 2026 and will be applied at the ceremony scheduled for March 2027, set a red line: Only creative work done by people will be eligible. to be eligible for an award in the acting and screenwriting categories. AI may continue to be used as technical support in other fields, but it will not be considered an author or performer.
What exactly changes in the interpretation categories?
In the field of acting, the Academy has established that Only documents "demonstrably interpreted by people" will be valid.It is therefore useless for a character to appear human on screen if it is actually a digital construct without a physical performance behind it.
This precision seeks to close the door to the proliferation of synthetic actors, posthumous recreations, and profound manipulations created with generative artificial intelligence. In recent years, experiments with recreated, rejuvenated, or completely invented faces have multiplied, raising alarms among Hollywood actors' unions.
The new rule also requires that the actions have been carried out with the express consent of the person accredited in the legal credits of the film. In other words, it will not be enough to have the image or voice of an actor to digitally replicate it and present the result as if it were a performance valid for the Oscars.
In practice, this means a “performance” generated by an AI model from archive data, motion capture, or synthetic audio will not be eligible for nominations in any acting category, however convincing it may seem on screen.
Screenplays: human authorship as an essential requirement
The second major aspect of the reform concerns writing. The Academy has made it clear that The candidate scripts must be of “human authorship”Texts entirely generated by algorithms will not be accepted in the original or adapted screenplay categories.
This does not mean that productions are completely prohibited from using software during the creative process. It is acceptable for software to be used. automated tools as supportProvided that the actual writing is done by human screenwriters. If a work is suspected of relying too heavily on AI, the Academy reserves the right to request explanations.
In its official rules, the institution specifies that it may request detailed information about the nature of the use of generative artificial intelligence and regarding the degree of human intervention in the script's development. This oversight aims to prevent a text produced by a language model from being presented in a polished manner as if it were the original work of a writer.
The message to the industry is quite direct: even if AI sneaks into writers' rooms as a support tool, Artistic recognition at the Oscars will continue to be reserved for human creators.The screenwriter's profession, much challenged by automation, thus maintains symbolic protection in the most influential awards in the sector.
AI doesn't disappear from the creative process, but it loses its right to awards.
Despite the forceful nature of the veto in the two most sensitive categories, the Academy insists that It does not prohibit the use of artificial intelligence in the overall film production process.What is limited is their role as an eligible “creator”, not their presence as a technical tool.
In other areas, such as visual effects, editing, sound, production design, or even marketing, teams will be able to continue using generative models and advanced software However, this alone does not diminish the chances of being nominated. The criterion that will be applied is the extent to which the human being has been "the core of the creative authorship" of the final result.
The organization also clarifies that the use of AI It will not automatically add points in your favor nor penalize you. a nomination. Each branch will evaluate the artistic merits on a case-by-case basis, assessing what part of the work relies on human decisions and what part is due to automated processes.
There will be more scrutiny of projects that rely heavily on generative models to produce dialogues, voices, or images. In these cases, the Academy may require additional documentation about how the technology has been used and which professionals are listed as creative managers.
Industry reaction and concern for labor rights
The new rules come amid a tense atmosphere in Hollywood, marked by recent strikes by screenwriters and actors who expressed concern about a possible mass replacement by AI. The appearance of hyper-realistic videos and synthetic voices has set off alarm bells in the unions.
Many professionals fear that studies will resort to algorithms to to reduce costs in filming, dubbing or writingrelegating performers and writers to a merely symbolic role. The Oscar regulations alone don't resolve this battle, but they send a clear signal about the kind of work the industry wants to reward.
One of the most delicate points is that of the digital recreations of deceased or retired actorsUntil now, there had been examples of extreme rejuvenation or posthumous appearances partially generated by computer. Under the new regulations, these technological solutions will no longer be eligible for funding.
At the same time, legal questions arise surrounding image, voice and authorship rights When an AI uses archival footage for training, studios and technology platforms have faced lawsuits for using copyrighted works to feed generative models, a debate that also directly impacts the audiovisual sector.
Europe observes the Academy's shift and prepares its own framework
Although the rules apply directly to the US-based Oscars, their impact is felt throughout the international film ecosystem, including Europe and Spain. Many of the films produced on the continent They aspire to compete in Hollywood every year.especially in the International Film category.
European production companies experimenting with generative AI to accelerate pre-production, writing, or post-production processes will have to to carefully measure the limits of the use of these tools if they want to remain eligible. In particular, any attempt to create synthetic actors or automated scripts would jeopardize their chances of winning awards.
This movement by the Academy also coincides with the development of regulatory framework for artificial intelligence in the European Unionwhich introduces transparency obligations and limitations for certain high-risk uses. Although European regulations are not specifically aimed at film awards, they do require production and distribution companies to be more transparent about the processes they employ.
In countries like Spain, where the audiovisual sector combines large international shoots with independent productions, the Oscar decision can act as indirect reference when defining good practicesTop-tier European festivals, closely linked to the race to Hollywood, will also be watching closely how this balance between technology and human creativity evolves.
More changes: multiple nominations and a new pathway for International Feature Film
The rules regarding artificial intelligence come with other significant changes to the prize system. One of the most striking is that, from now on, The same actor or actress may receive multiple nominations in the same category if it obtains enough votes for different interpretations within the same year.
Until now, this possibility was blocked by internal rules designed to prevent an interpreter from "stealing votes" from themselves. The reform eliminates this long-standing obstacle and aligns acting categories with other technical fields, where competing with more than one job in the same category was already permitted.
It also profoundly changes the race for the Oscar Best International FilmThe Academy opens a direct qualification route: films that win the top prize at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, Toronto or Busan will automatically gain access to the race without depending so much on national committees.
This adjustment especially benefits works that, for political or bureaucratic reasons, They fail to obtain official support from their countries Despite its critical acclaim, the new system will allow European or other regional films that succeed at major festivals to circumvent internal vetoes and be shown in Hollywood.
Another relevant nuance is symbolic but significant: in the International Film category, The statuette will no longer be identified with the country It will then be directly associated with the feature film and its director, whose name will appear on the plaque. This breaks with decades of tradition in which the award was understood as a national recognition.
Technical adjustments and schedule for the 99th edition
Beyond the debate on AI and creative authorship, the Academy has introduced specific changes in technical areas and in voting processesIn the casting category, for example, the number of statuettes awarded will be increased to three, reinforcing the role of this discipline in the final result of a film.
In Best Cinematography, the previous shortlist will now include 20 selected titlesThis expands the range of productions with visibility in the preliminary phase. In Visual Effects, branch members must certify that they have viewed three-minute technical clips of raw footage before casting their final vote.
The Makeup and Hairdressing categories will now require voters to attend in person. round tables and working sessions to validate their decisions, while in Original Song it will be required that the pieces that play in the end credits be presented accompanied by at least fifteen seconds of the previous footage to contextualize their use.
In parallel, the Academy has strengthened the rules governing promotional campaigns aimed at its members, limiting the number of moderators per screening and seeking greater transparency in communication with votersAll of this will culminate in the ceremony which, barring any last-minute changes, will take place in March 2027, with films released in 2026 taking center stage.
Taken together, these changes paint a picture in which the Oscars are trying to adapt to an industry undergoing technological transformation without losing sight of their reason for being: to reward the creative human talent behind each filmArtificial intelligence will still be present on film sets and in editing rooms, but, at least for now, it won't be able to go on stage to collect an award or sign the script for the evening.