Oscars to Screenwriters: You Gotta Be Human

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has addressed the way it evaluates the role of artificial intelligence in movies that could qualify for Oscars.

Starting with the 2027 ceremony, Oscar’s 99th, the Academy is reserving the right to inquire about the extent to which AI was used in a movie, as well as how it was used. According to Variety, to compete in either writing category (original or adapted screenplays), a script must have been written entirely by one or more humans who were living and breathing at the time they wrote it (read: no AI). Moreover, the Academy reserved the right to change its rules, as the ways people use AI change, but it underscored that it would remain committed to honoring the work of human beings.

AI has come under greater scrutiny recently with the release of As Deep as the Grave, a movie that uses generative AI to bring the late Val Kilmer back to the silver screen. The actor’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, has said she’s OK with the practice.

“I started off as a way to overcome the limitations of his illness, but then it evolved into something that he really was like, ‘Oh, wait. I have a chance to actually set a precedent,” she told The Today Show. “It’s kind of fallen into two camps. People that maybe have a more precarious position in the industry and are worried and see AI as a threat — which is absolutely valid — and younger people, younger actors and musicians. I’m a musician and a lot of people that I know are so scared of this technology.”

The Academy has also updated its rules for other categories. Actors may now receive more than one nomination in the same category, ostensibly competing against themselves. So now an actor like Josh O’Connor, who appeared in four movies last year, could lock out every slot of the Best Actor category but one (if his acting were good enough.)
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Similarly, films from the same country may now compete against one another in the international feature category. Anatomy of a Fall, in 2023, wasn’t able to compete for France despite nominations in other categories, including Best Picture. (France opted instead to submit The Taste of Things for Oscar consideration; it was not nominated.)

The Academy also updated its rules for the casting and hairstyle and makeup categories. It also added regulations for how productions can campaign to win.