AI at the Oscars: Academy Allows Artificial Intelligence in Award-Eligible Films

For the first time, films created using artificial intelligence (AI) will be eligible to win the Academy Awards’ top honors. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced updated rules and campaign regulations for the 98th Oscars, formally including the use of generative AI in its official policy.

Under the new regulations, Oscar-qualifying film festivals will now be allowed to send program details to Academy members using approved mailing houses. More significantly, the Academy has clarified that the use of AI or other digital tools will neither help nor hinder a film’s chance at nomination.

“The use of AI and other digital tools will not disqualify a film from Oscar contention,” the Academy said in a statement on Monday. “However, the extent of human creativity involved will be a key consideration when selecting award winners.”

The Academy emphasized that “human contribution” remains central to its evaluation process. The inclusion of generative AI films has been endorsed by the Academy’s Science and Technology Council, which recommended the move as part of its evolving standards.

According to a report by the BBC, generative AI can produce text, images, audio, and video based on simple text prompts — technology that was notably used in several award-winning films earlier this year. At the March Oscars ceremony, Adrien Brody won Best Actor for his role in The Brutalist, a film where AI was used to enhance his Hungarian language pronunciation. Similarly, voice-cloning technology was used to refine the singing voice of Oscar-winning artist Emilia Perez.

Despite these technological advancements, the growing presence of AI in cinema has sparked heated debate across the industry. Concerns have been raised by artists and actors over the materials used to train AI tools and the potential impact on traditional jobs and livelihoods.

Generative AI’s capabilities — such as altering a performer’s voice or appearance and contributing to music and film production — are increasingly making the technology attractive to producers. As a result, it is fast becoming a mainstream tool in the entertainment industry.

Among other rule changes, the Academy has also mandated that all members must watch every film nominated in each category before voting in the final round. This step is intended to ensure a fair and comprehensive judging process for all Oscar contenders.

Screenwriters have voiced concern that studios may increasingly rely on tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT for research, scriptwriting, and even medical consultation, in a bid to cut costs and save time — potentially at the expense of human creatives.

The 98th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on March 15 of next year.

It is worth noting that during the 2023 strikes, Hollywood actors and screenwriters had expressed fears of losing their jobs due to the growing role of AI in film production.