Robots to Miss Out on Oscars? The Film Industry Decides Who Can’t Compete for the Statuette

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has approved new rules for the 99th Oscars ceremony, introducing strict limits on the use of artificial intelligence in key categories and significantly overhauling several long-standing selection procedures.

The main change concerns authorship and performance: from now on, only scripts officially recognized as written by a human, as well as acting performances “demonstrably performed by people with their consent,” will be eligible for nomination. In effect, the Academy is formally stating that generative technologies can be used as auxiliary tools in production, but cannot be the source of creative contributions considered for awards.

The statement emphasizes that the goal is to uphold the principle of human authorship as the foundation of the Oscars. The Academy also reserves the right to request additional information about the extent of AI involvement in a project if there are doubts about the nature of its authorship.

Meanwhile, the rules for acting categories have also changed. Now, the same actor can receive multiple nominations in a single category if different performances make it into the top five most-supported during voting. This effectively removes the previous practice where an actor’s multiple strong roles could “split the vote” and diminish their chances of winning.

Significant changes have also been made to the international category. Previously, each country could submit only one film, but now there’s an alternative path: a foreign-language film can be nominated by winning one of six major international awards — at the Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance, or Busan film festivals. Additionally, the logic of awarding has changed: if such a film wins, the statuette will go to the film itself, not the country, with the director receiving it as the creative team’s representative.

Technical and procedural details across several categories have also been updated — from casting and cinematography to visual effects and music. For example, more winners will be recognized in casting, mandatory screenings are being introduced for the VFX category, and Academy members’ participation in final voting rounds is being tightened.

These updated rules reflect the Academy’s attempt to both adapt to rapidly evolving technology and preserve the traditional view of cinema as a product of human creativity.

The 98th Oscars ceremony took place in March. We covered the winners and nominees in a separate article. Organizers have also announced the dates for the 99th and 100th ceremonies.

Do you think these strict limits on AI at the Oscars will truly protect the value of human creativity in cinema — or is this just a temporary measure that will inevitably be reconsidered in the future?