The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revised its rules for the upcoming 2027 Oscar ceremony. The new eligibility criteria and voting norms were announced on Friday.
The update informed what kind of work in movies and documentaries would be considered eligible for an Oscar as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology grows. Under the eligibility requirements, the Academy specified that only acting “demonstrably performed by humans” and that writing “must be human-authored” in order to be nominated for an award.
Additionally, both lead and supporting performers could now be nominated for more than one performance within the same category if those performances rank in top five voted list. Earlier, if the actor secured multiple top five positions only those with the highest voted performance were considered eligible.
Tagging the requirements a “substantive” change to the rules, the Academy mentioned nominating acts written and performed by “humans” as new. This new rule follows discussion on the recreation of late actor Val Kilmer in the upcoming film As Deep as the Grave.
They also addressed the use of AI, stating it reserves the right to request further information on how it is used and the extent of human authorship in submitted films.The officials also revised the Academy eligibility criteria for the Best International Feature category. While countries or regions can still submit one official entry they are independently eligible for major international film festivals. This shift allows multiple films from a single country or region to be nominated in the category.
In recent months, there have been notable examples of expansive use of AI tools and technology to replace or recreate human work.