These changes are designed to uphold the importance of human creativity while adapting to evolving technologies and increasing global participation in cinema.
For the first time, the Academy has clarified how AI tools will be treated in the awards process, especially as generative AI becomes more widely used in film production. While the use of AI is not banned, the new rules make it clear that human authorship must remain at the heart of creative work for a film to be eligible for major awards.
Performances must be delivered by actual humans who consent to be on screen, and screenplays must be entirely human‑authored. The Academy also reserves the right to request more information from filmmakers about how AI was used in a project, emphasizing that humans must be central to the creative process.
Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor stressed that as technology evolves, discussions about AI will continue, but the organization remains committed to maintaining human creativity at the forefront of awards eligibility. This approach seeks to find a balance between embracing innovation and protecting the integrity of artistic achievements recognized by the Oscars.
In addition to the AI‑related guidelines, the Academy also implemented major reforms to the international feature film category, a section that has been criticized in the past for being restrictive and susceptible to political influence.
Under the new rules, films that have won top awards at prestigious international festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Busan, Sundance, and Toronto can now qualify for Oscar consideration even if they were not submitted by their home country.
This change allows films to be eligible based on artistic achievement rather than solely relying on country submissions. Furthermore, the Oscars will now credit the filmmaker not the nation for nominations in this category, and the director’s name will be included on the Oscar statuette alongside the film title.
The acting categories also saw a notable update: actors may now receive more than one nomination in the same category for different performances. This aligns the acting branch with other awards categories and recognizes exceptional work even when an individual appears multiple times in a single year.
These changes reflect the Academy’s effort to modernize the Oscars and make them more inclusive and adaptable to global filmmaking trends.
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