Academy Sets New Eligibility Rules on AI in Acting and Writing
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has clarified that only acting and writing performed by humans will be eligible to win an Oscar.
The Academy, which oversees the United States film industry's most prestigious awards, issued updated rules on Friday regarding the types of work in films and documentaries that qualify for Oscar consideration amid the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
In the revised eligibility criteria, the Academy specified that acting must be "demonstrably performed by humans" and that writing "must be human-authored" to be nominated for an award.
The Academy described these requirements as a "substantive" change to the Oscars' rules.
This is the first time the Academy has explicitly stated that only acting and writing created by "humans" are eligible for awards.
Context of AI Use in Film Industry
In recent months, there have been notable instances of extensive AI use to replace or recreate human work in the entertainment industry.
For example, actor Val Kilmer, who passed away in 2025, is planned to be digitally recreated using AI technology to play a lead role in an upcoming film. Additionally, last year, London-based actor and comedian Eline van der Velden revealed she had created a completely artificial AI actor intended to "become a global superstar."
Two years ago, when the union representing Hollywood writers went on strike, a central issue was the use of AI by film and television studios to write scripts.
AI tools are primarily based on large language models (LLMs), which have been trained on decades of human-created text, images, and video to generate their outputs.
Hollywood studios, actors, and authors have filed lawsuits alleging copyright infringement against various AI companies.
Academy’s Position on AI Beyond Acting and Writing
Despite the restrictions on acting and writing, the Academy did not impose a ban on AI use in films more generally.
Regarding other aspects of filmmaking, if AI tools are used, the Academy stated that such "tools neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination."
"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," the group added.
Furthermore, the Academy reserves the right to request additional information about the nature of AI use and human authorship if questions arise concerning generative artificial intelligence.
"If questions arise regarding the aforementioned use of generative artificial intelligence, the Academy reserves the right to request more information about the nature of the use and human authorship."
Technology’s Role in Filmmaking
Technology has been integral to filmmaking for many years, with computer-generated imagery (CGI) widely used since the 1990s.
While CGI is largely considered a manual process—created and refined by humans to produce film elements—AI tools are generally designed to automate work entirely through simple prompts.
