Academy Says AI Actors and Writers Are Not Eligible for Oscars

Hollywood’s top honors are drawing a hard line on artificial intelligence: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says AI-generated actors will not qualify for an Oscar as it rolls out tougher rules on the technology’s use.

Among the changes, the Academy made clear that only flesh-and-blood performers — not AI-created doubles or avatars — can contend for the industry’s biggest awards. It also said scripts must be written by a human being, not produced by a chatbot.

“In the Acting category, only roles credited in the film’s legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent will be considered eligible,” the Academy said.

“In the Writing categories, the rules codify that screenplays must be human-authored to be eligible.”

A de-aged, digital version of Mr Kilmer was featured in the trailer for the archaeological action film “As Deep as the Grave,” delivering the line to another character: “Don’t fear the dead and don’t fear me.”

The film was developed with strong backing from the actor’s family, which opened his video archives to filmmakers, allowing them to recreate him at different points in his life.

Artificial intelligence remains one of the entertainment business’s most fraught flashpoints. The issue sat at the heart of the 2023 Hollywood strikes, when actors and writers argued that unchecked use of the technology could put their jobs at risk.

Elsewhere, the Academy also revised the rules governing how films may be nominated for best international feature.

Until this year, only movies chosen by an official national body were allowed to enter — a hurdle for critical works produced under authoritarian governments.

One example came earlier this year, when Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident” received a nomination as France’s submission.

Under the updated rules, a non-English-language film may also enter the category if it wins a qualifying prize at a major international film festival, including Cannes, Berlin, Busan, Venice or Toronto.

In the same category, the Academy said the film itself — rather than the country — will now be treated as the nominee, and its director will be “listed on the statuette plaque after the film title” alongside the country where applicable.