AI Officially Can’t Win an Oscar for Acting or Screenwriting

Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces new rules for the upcoming season, and this year, much of the focus is on AI.

The Academy clarified rules for two categories related to AI: In the acting categories, only roles that are “demonstrably performed by humans with their consent will be considered eligible.” And in the screenplay categories, “the rules codify that screenplays must be human-authored to be eligible.”

AI has become a hot-button issue in Hollywood, especially after the marketing ploy of Tilly Norwood—an AI-generated actor—made performers especially nervous. Though there have yet to be any feature films with AI-generated stars, the Academy often looks ahead to what may be coming down the road when adjusting the rules.
The Academy also added language that allows the organization to request more information about how AI was applied and human authorship in any project that uses generative AI.
The most notable other rule change is to the International Feature Film category. Traditionally, each country can select just one film as its country’s submission for this category. This led to some very acclaimed films not being submitted because the country chose another film. A recent example of this would be when France selected Tran Anh Hung’s The Taste of Things over Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall. The latter had much more acclaim and had won the Palme d’Or at Cannes earlier that year, so it was a shock to see France snub it. Anatomy of a Fall went on to win the Oscar for best screenplay.

For the 99th Oscars and beyond, countries can still submit in that same fashion, but additional films can be submitted for consideration by winning a qualifying award at an international film festival. Those festivals include the Berlin International Film Festival (Golden Bear for Best Film), Busan International Film Festival (Busan Award, Best Film), Cannes Film Festival (Palme d’Or), Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize), Toronto International Film Festival (Platform Award), and the Venice International Film Festival (Golden Lion).

Also, for these films, the film will be credited as the nominee rather than the country or region. The award will be accepted by the director, and the director’s name will be listed on the statuette plaque after the film title, and, if applicable, the country or region.

It’s a significant change for Oscar-seeking directors. While the director has usually been the person to accept the award for this category, this shift solidifies them as an Oscar winner, along with the country. Films from directors Bong Joon Ho, Asghar Farhadi, Paweł Pawlikowski, Alfonso Cuarón, Jonathan Glazer, and Joachim Trier have all previously won in the International Feature Film category. But, for example, while Trier accepted the award earlier this year for Sentimental Value, he is not technically the winner of an Oscar yet. For whoever wins next, they’ll not only hold the trophy but also take home the title of Oscar winner.