Multiple media outlets reported on Friday, May 1, 2026, that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced a sweeping set of rule changes for the 2027 Oscars, with the most significant revisions targeting the use of artificial intelligence and the Best International Feature Film category. The Academy's board of governors approved the changes on Friday, the reports said.
According to the Academy, only human actors will be eligible for acting awards at the 2027 ceremony, effectively barring AI-generated performances. The new rule stipulates that eligible acting performances must be demonstrably human. This means the performer must have given informed consent for the use of their image or performance, and the performance must be officially credited in the film's legal billing. The Academy further emphasized that the human performer must be at the core of the performance; any use of synthetic augmentation cannot form the basis of a nomination. The provision directly targets the rising use of AI to recreate or synthesize performances, including deepfake technology and dead actors brought back through digital means.
In the writing categories, the Academy has taken a similarly firm position, ruling that only human-authored screenplays will be accepted for the Original and Adapted Screenplay Oscars. No artificial intelligence writing tools—whether they generate plot ideas, dialogue, or story structure—may be credited as contributors. This means that scripts developed with substantial AI assistance, even if refined by humans, could be disqualified if the Academy determines the human contribution was not sufficient.
For categories outside of acting and writing—such as visual effects, editing, and sound—the Academy's approach is more nuanced. It announced that the use of AI tools will neither help nor harm a film's chances of nomination. Instead, each branch will evaluate achievements by considering "the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship," a standard that empowers craftspeople to use AI as a tool but demands human creative control. The Academy stated that this principle applies equally to all non-acting, non-writing categories, but the final judgment rests on the human factor. This flexible framework acknowledges the widespread use of AI in post-production while insisting on human-driven artistry.
The Academy also reserved the right to request more detailed information about any film's use of AI and the documentation of human authorship during the submission process. It indicated that it could demand production materials, sworn statements, or other evidence to verify that the work meets the human authorship standards. This puts the burden on filmmakers to be transparent about their AI workflows.
Several key questions remain unanswered, creating uncertainty for filmmakers. The Academy has not specified what concrete evidence or documentation will be required to prove that a performance is demonstrably human or that a screenplay is entirely human-authored. The rules' application to widely used AI tools in post-production—such as digital de-aging, voice synthesis, or performance tweaks—has not been clarified. For instance, if an actor's face is digitally rejuvenated using AI, does that count as augmentation that "cannot form the basis" of the performance? Additionally, it is unclear when the Academy will release detailed guidelines explaining how the "human at the heart" standard will be applied in practice, including how branches will assess creative authorship. These uncertainties are particularly acute given the upcoming independent film that features an AI-generated version of Val Kilmer, who died in 2025. Multiple media reports confirm the untitled production is underway, using AI to recreate his performance, which will test the boundaries of the new rules once it seeks eligibility.
In a major expansion of the Best International Feature Film category, the Academy has created a new pathway for qualification. In addition to the traditional route of being chosen by a country's official selection committee, a film can now qualify by winning the top prize at one of six major film festivals: Berlin, Busan, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, or Venice. This festival route means that a country could theoretically have more than one film in contention if, for example, its official selection committee chooses one film and another domestic production wins a top festival prize. The Academy confirmed that qualifying films could come from any of these six festivals, potentially broadening the range of international contenders and bypassing bureaucratic selection processes. The Oscar for Best International Feature will now be awarded to the director on behalf of the country, with the director's name inscribed on the statuette's plaque—a change that aligns the award with other categories where the prize goes to an individual rather than a nation.
In a separate rule adjustment, actors can now be nominated for multiple performances in the same acting category. Previously, performers were limited to one nomination per category, even if they had multiple eligible roles in a single year—a restriction that stood in contrast to other Oscar categories where multiple nominations for one person are common. This change aligns acting fields with the rest of the awards and could lead to unprecedented double nominations in a single year.
The new rules will take effect for the 2027 Academy Awards, according to the reports. The Academy plans to release more detailed guidance in the coming months, addressing the outstanding questions and providing clarity for the filmmaking community as it navigates the intersection of art and artificial intelligence.