Academy Bars AI Performances and Scripts from Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Friday that AI-generated performances and screenplays will be ineligible for Oscars. The rules require acting and writing awards to be based on human-created work and state that credited performances must be completed with an actor’s consent.

Under the update, only performances carried out by living human actors qualify for acting categories. Those performances must appear in a film’s official billing with the actor’s permission. Screenplays produced by generative AI are not eligible; only scripts written by humans can be considered for writing awards.

The Academy will be able to request details about how generative AI and other digital tools were used on a film, including the degree of human involvement, and will review individual cases at its discretion. Earlier rules approved in April allowed the use of AI tools while emphasizing human creative control; the new language makes human authorship explicit for acting and writing categories.

The organization also approved changes to other eligibility rules. The International Feature Film category will allow multiple entries when films secure qualifying festival wins, and actors may receive multiple nominations in the same category for different performances.

Studios and creators have used AI to generate scripts, alter performances and digitally recreate actors. Examples include viral synthetic clips that combine well-known performers and a recent use of AI to recreate a late actor’s likeness for an upcoming film.

The performers’ union SAG-AFTRA has warned that AI-generated performers could threaten jobs and often rely on existing work without consent. Several performers and musicians have sought trademarks and legal remedies to protect their likenesses, and some have entered licensing agreements to create digital voice or image replicas.

In a recent interview, actor T.J. Miller expressed he is not worried about losing work to AI, saying, “I’m not super scared that AI can take my job. As far as hosting and being very funny and getting the energy up, I am not afraid of losing.”

The Academy will continue to evaluate how digital tools intersect with filmmaking as studios, talent and unions address legal and ethical questions around synthetic content.