Academy Bars AI from Oscars Acting and Writing Awards
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced changes to its eligibility rules for Oscars. Only performances clearly done by humans and scripts written by humans can compete for awards in acting and writing categories. This update came on Friday as artificial intelligence tools see wider use in movies and documentaries.
The organization behind the top U.S. film prize made this a key adjustment to its standards. Previously, no such explicit language existed about requiring human involvement in these areas.
Specific Changes to Eligibility
Under the new guidelines, acting must show clear human performance to qualify for nomination. Writing needs to come from human authors. The Academy described these updates as a major shift in its policies.
Such clarifications became necessary with recent cases of AI replacing human efforts in entertainment. For instance, Val Kilmer, the actor who passed away in 2025, will appear via AI recreation in a lead role for a forthcoming film. Last year, Eline van der Velden, a comedian and actor from London, built a completely artificial AI performer aimed at achieving worldwide fame.
Two years back, the Hollywood writers' union struck over studios employing AI for script creation, a central dispute in negotiations. Large language models that power AI systems rely on decades of human-generated text, images, and videos for training data to generate results.
Broader Industry Reactions
Hollywood studios, performers, and writers have filed suits against various AI firms, alleging violations of copyright. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, established in 1927 with over 10,000 members from film professions, has organized the Oscars since 1929 as the industry's highest honor.
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Yet the academy stopped short of prohibiting AI across all film production. For roles outside acting and writing, using AI does not boost or hurt nomination odds, according to the rules. Judges from the Academy and its branches will evaluate based on how much human creativity drives the work.
The statement reads, "The Academy and each branch will judge the achievement, taking into account the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship when choosing which movie to award." If generative AI use raises doubts, the Academy can demand details on its application and human contributions.
Technology's Long Role in Cinema
Filmmakers have integrated tech for decades, including computer-generated imagery since the 1990s. CGI involves human artists crafting and refining visual elements manually. In contrast, AI often handles tasks automatically based on basic instructions.
These rules aim to preserve recognition for human artistry amid rapid tech advances. The Academy's move reflects ongoing debates in an industry where AI promises efficiency but sparks fears over job displacement and originality.
Val Kilmer gained fame for roles in films like Top Gun and Batman Forever before health issues limited his work. Eline van der Velden's experiment highlighted AI's potential to mimic stardom without real people. The 2023 writers' strike lasted over 140 days, securing protections against AI scriptwriting among other gains.
Lawsuits target companies training models on copyrighted material without permission, a fight that continues to shape AI development in creative fields.