Oscars AI Guidelines Usher in New Era for Academy Awards

The 98th Academy Awards will make history as the first Oscars with official guidelines for AI use in filmmaking. The Awards ceremony will be held on March 15, 2026.

Gen AI will not disqualify films for Oscars

In the latest rule update from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization has clarified that the use of generative AI in filmmaking will not disqualify movies from Oscar consideration. While the Academy describes this as taking “no stance” on AI use, this effectively means filmmakers are permitted to use generative AI tools in their work without penalty. This approach comes after controversy surrounding the 2025 Academy Awards, when two nominated films, including the Best Picture winner “The Brutalist,” admitted they had used AI. 

“With regard to Generative Artificial Intelligence and other digital tools used in the making of the film, the tools neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination,” from the statement on the Academy Awards website. “The Academy and each branch will judge the achievement, taking into account the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship when choosing which movie to award.”

The announcement comes on the heels of industry-wide debate about the appropriate boundaries of AI use in filmmaking. Filmmakers David Cronenberg clapped back about this year’s Oscars AI controversy, and the Russo brothers advocate for the use of AI in movies on artists’ terms.

Academy addresses voting oversight

The AI rule update is not the only change to the Academy Awards: Oscars voters will now only get access to final ballots for categories that they’ve confirmed watching every nominee. Surprisingly, this was not previously an official requirement unlike the BAFTAs.

The Academy is not just taking voters’ word for it either — they will be monitoring viewing activity through their members-only streaming platform. For films seen elsewhere, such as festivals, screenings, or private viewings, members are required to file paperwork documenting when and where they watched it.

The Academy has used similar verification methods before in preliminary voting for international features, animation, and shorts — now they’re just rolling it out across all categories.

The initiative aims to eliminate “coattail voting,” in which members cast ballots based on popularity rather than direct viewing. 

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