Oscars rule out AI-generated actors and AI-written scripts

In short: The Academy Awards has changed its rules so AI-generated acting and AI-written scripts cannot be nominated for Oscars.

What happened

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group behind the Oscars, published new rules that deal with generative AI. Generative AI is software that can create new content like text, images, or video (think of it like a very fast autocomplete that can produce whole paragraphs or even a fake person on screen).

Under the updated rules, only performances that are credited in a film’s official billing, and “demonstrably performed by humans with their consent,” can be eligible for acting awards. In plain terms, if a character on screen is mainly created by AI, or is based on someone’s likeness without clear human performance and permission, that work will not qualify.

The Academy also said screenplays must be “human-authored” to be eligible. That means a script written by a person can still qualify, but a script generated by AI cannot.

The Academy added that it can ask filmmakers for more information about how AI was used and who actually wrote or performed the work. This comes as AI-made performers have been getting attention, including a film reportedly in development using an AI-generated version of actor Val Kilmer, and headlines around an AI “actress” named Tilly Norwood.

Why it matters

These rules draw a clearer line around what the Oscars consider human creative work. For audiences, it affects which movies can compete for major awards, and it signals how Hollywood is trying to handle AI in filmmaking, especially after AI was a major issue during the 2023 actors’ and writers’ strikes.

Source: TechCrunch AI