The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has issued a set of eligibility revisions that respond to technological shifts and evolving industry practice. On May 2, 2026 the organization clarified how it will treat works that use artificial intelligence tools, emphasizing that creative authorship and performer consent are central to awards consideration. These changes cover several major areas — acting, writing, and the International Feature Film category — while preserving the Academy’s ability to request documentation about a project’s use of generative AI or other automated processes.
While the new rules anticipate future developments, they also react to recent controversies involving digitally created talent and posthumous likenesses. The Academy framed its updates as measures to protect human creativity: only performances and scripts with clear human origins will remain eligible under the revised eligibility framework. The organization also introduced process adjustments that affect how international films qualify and how credit is recorded on the award plaque.
New limits on AI in performance and writing
The Academy now states that acting nominations will be limited to roles that are demonstrably performed by humans with their consent. This line was drawn to exclude fully AI-generated actors from consideration, addressing high-profile instances where machine-created performers or reconstructed likenesses sparked debate. The rule underscores the importance of human agency and consent, and gives the Academy the authority to request supporting details about how any AI was used in a submitted performance.
Acting and consent
By requiring that a role be performed by a consenting human, the Academy aims to prevent scenarios in which a digital construct or an unapproved use of an individual’s likeness competes for a prize. The policy responds to public examples and industry anxieties about the potential for synthetic performers to blur lines between human craft and machine output. Under the new standard, projects that rely on artificially generated lead performances will not be eligible for acting awards.
Screenplays and verification
In the writing categories the Academy has codified that eligible screenplays must be human-authored. While filmmakers may employ AI tools for routine or technical tasks, the body insists that the central creative work remain a product of human authorship. The Academy also retains the right to ask for additional information about the role that generative AI played in a submission, a step intended to preserve transparency and guard the integrity of crediting.
Reworking the International Feature Film pathway
Perhaps the most structural change affects the International Feature Film category. Traditionally, each country submitted a single title as its official entry, which sometimes resulted in acclaimed films being left out when national selection bodies chose differently. The Academy has opened alternative qualification routes: films that win specific top awards at major festivals can now be submitted for consideration in addition to national selections. Qualifying prizes include the Golden Bear from Berlin, the Palme d’Or from Cannes, the Golden Lion from Venice, the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize from Sundance, the Platform Award from Toronto, and the Busan Award for Best Film.
Nominee credit and plaque recognition
Another consequential change is that qualifying works will be labeled as the film nominee rather than the submitting country or region. The award itself will be accepted by the director, whose name will appear on the statuette plaque after the film title, with the country or region noted if applicable. This adjustment cements the director’s association with the victory in a way that previous practice did not always make explicit, transforming the reception ritual into formal recognition of the filmmaker as an Oscar recipient.
Other procedural updates and broader implications
Beyond AI and international rules, the Academy introduced additional updates including allowing performers to receive multiple nominations in the same acting category for distinct roles, and adjustments to certain category technicalities such as casting statuette allocations and eligibility for songs placed during end credits. The Academy emphasized that these changes take effect as it approaches the 99th Academy Awards, scheduled for March 14, 2027, and that the organization may request further documentation to assess compliance. Taken together, the revisions seek to balance technological realities, artistic authorship, and fair recognition across the global film community.
What this means for filmmakers and performers
Filmmakers and performers should now expect clearer standards for authorship, informed consent, and festival-driven qualification. Directors who previously accepted the International Feature trophy on behalf of a country will now find their role more formally acknowledged on the award itself, and actors must ensure their credited performances meet the human performance threshold. The Academy’s stance signals an effort to preserve human creative labor while allowing limited, transparent use of AI-assisted tools for non-creative tasks.
