The organization responsible for the Oscars is addressing for the first time the issue of the eligibility of films using artificial intelligence under the new rules planned for the 2027 Oscar ceremony.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday released updates regarding numerous categories, emphasizing the importance of human authorship without banning AI.
The new rules also include significant changes to the much-criticized international film category, expanding eligibility to include films that have won major awards at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Venice and Toronto.
As we do every year, we’ve made many changes that we believe are really smart and progressive,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer told the Associated Press. “Obviously, as the Academy becomes more international, we need to think about how we incorporate international films into the Oscar debate.”
As part of its annual review of Oscar eligibility rules, the Academy is tackling one of the major concerns of the global film community: generative artificial intelligence.
The new rules stipulate that "these tools neither help nor hinder the chances of receiving a nomination" and that the Academy and each of its sections "will judge the quality of the work by taking into account the degree of human involvement at the heart of the artistic creation when choosing the film to be awarded." They also reserve the right to request further information from the production team regarding the nature of the use of AI and "human creation."
Regarding performance eligibility, only roles "clearly performed by humans with their consent" will be considered. The organization declined to comment on the eligibility of Val Kilmer's upcoming AI-generated performance, as the filmmakers have not yet submitted it for review.
A resemblance is not an actor, for starters, but it could also depend on how Val Kilmer is credited in the film: as Val Kilmer or under another name? Andy Serkis in the role of Gollum could also be considered an example of a collaboration between a human and technology for the final performance.
“We will examine this on a case-by-case basis,” Kramer said. “Like everyone else in our industry and around the world, we will evaluate this annually.”
There is less ambiguity in the screenplay categories, where the rules state that "screenplays must be written by humans to be eligible."
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has often had to revise its standards to adapt to the technological advances of the moment, whether it be sound, color or computer-generated imagery (CGI).
As its composition has become more international, calls have grown for an overhaul of the international film category, which has been consistently criticized as unfair, outdated, and susceptible to political interference. This has often resulted in independent and dissident filmmakers being excluded from representing their home countries.
Last year’s Palme d’Or winner at Cannes, for example, “It Was Just an Accident”, by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, was not presented as Iran’s official candidate for the 98th Academy Awards, but as France’s.
Under the new rules, "It Was Just an Accident" could be considered eligible because it won the top prize at Cannes, not because a country chose to screen it. In addition to the Palme d'Or at Cannes, the Golden Lion at Venice, and the Platform Award at Toronto, other festivals awarding eligible prizes will also include the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Best Film Award at the Busan International Film Festival, and the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
All international films will also be credited as nominees, not by country or region, and the award will be accepted by the filmmaker. The director's name will also appear on the Oscar plaque, "after the film's title and country, if applicable."
The acting branch is catching up with the rest of the Academy by allowing an actor to be nominated for multiple performances in the same category. If, for example, Michael B. Jordan, this year's Best Actor winner, delivers two outstanding performances in two different films in 2026, he could potentially receive two Best Actor nominations.
This is a common practice in other categories. In 2001, at the 73rd Academy Awards, Steven Soderbergh was nominated for Best Director for both "Traffic" and "Erin Brockovich," winning the award for the former.
The organization also clarified the eligibility criteria for original songs used during a film's end credits. For songs whose first part is played during the end credits, it must overlap at least the last 15 seconds of the film before the credits begin to be considered eligible. This year's winning original song, "Golden," was a key element of "KPop Demon Hunters" and was used repeatedly throughout the film.
