The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday issued a set of new rules for the 99th Academy Awards, which will take place in 2027.
The new rules make it clear that acting and screenwriting must be done by humans, not artificial intelligence (AI), to be eligible for the film industry's highest honors, Reuters notes.
Generative artificial intelligence has raised concerns in the film and television industry, where there are fears that studios will turn to the technology to replace humans in order to cut costs.
Last year's debut of an AI-generated “actress” named Tilly Norwood, and the producer's praise for the interest shown by studio executives, heightened concerns and sparked backlash from the actors' union SAG-AFTRA.
Under the Academy's new rules, filmmakers can use AI tools, but a “synthetic” actor like Norwood will not be eligible for an Academy Award, the organization said in a statement. The Academy said screenplays also had to be “written by people” to be considered.
The rules give the Academy the ability to request additional information to verify that productions proposed for awards were created by humans.
Other new rules for the Oscars
Another novelty refers to the fact that actors will be able to receive multiple nominations in the same category if their performances rank among the top five places, Variety magazine notes.
The publication explained that this will avoid so-called “category fraud” in the case of artists with two productions in the same year, when a campaign team strategically promotes one of the productions to avoid a vote split.
There are also rules that widen the selection area. Thus, in addition to proposals made by official national or regional committees, non-English films will be able to qualify for awards if they win one at any of the following six approved festivals: Berlin International Film Festival (Golden Bear), Busan International Film Festival (Best Film Award), Cannes Film Festival (Palme d'Or), Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Grand Jury), International Film Festival Toronto (Platform Award) and Venice International Film Festival (Golden Lion).
