Academy Bars AI-Generated Acting and Writing From Oscar Eligibility
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has ruled that only human-performed acting and human-authored writing qualify for Oscar nominations. The organization issued updated eligibility requirements on Friday as AI use in filmmaking expands.
The new rules specify that acting must be "demonstrably performed by humans" and writing must be "human-authored" to be considered for an award. The Academy called this a "substantive" change to its standards.
The clarification addresses a gap that didn't previously exist. Recent examples show why the Academy felt compelled to act: actor Val Kilmer, who died in 2025, will be recreated using AI technology for a lead role in an upcoming film. Last year, London-based performer Eline van der Velden announced she had created an entirely synthetic AI actor.
The Writing Wars
The decision carries particular weight for screenwriters. When the Writers Guild of America struck two years ago, studios' use of AI to generate scripts became a central battleground.
All AI tools rely on generative AI and large language models trained on decades of human-created text, images, and video. Hollywood writers, actors, and authors have filed lawsuits against AI companies alleging copyright infringement over this training data.
What Still Counts
The Academy did not ban AI use in filmmaking broadly. Outside acting and writing, AI tools "neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination," the organization said.
Computer-generated imagery has been standard in films since the 1990s. The Academy distinguishes between CGI-typically a manual process refined by humans-and AI tools designed to automate work through simple prompts.
The Academy said it will "judge the achievement, taking into account the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship" and reserves the right to request information about generative AI use and human involvement in a film.
For writers in the industry, the ruling provides a direct answer: your work must come from you.
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