The organizers of the Oscars published new rules on Friday: to be eligible for the awards, the performances of actors and screenplays must be the work of human beings. The move comes after an AI-generated version of actor Val Kilmer was shown to an audience of cinema exhibitors, a year after his death.
Published on: 01/05/2026 - 22:53 Modified on: 02/05/2026 - 08:32
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Actors and scenarios generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not be eligible for the Oscars, the Academy announced on Friday, May 1, which published new rules.
“In the categories reserved for actors, only roles credited in the official film credits and which can be demonstrated to have been played by human beings with their consent will be considered eligible,” the Academy clarified.
The institution which awards the precious golden statuettes adds that “the rules formally establish that scenarios must be written by humans to be eligible”.
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The move comes days after an AI-generated version of Val Kilmer was shown to an audience of movie theater exhibitors, a year after his death. The star of "Top Gun" and "The Doors" appeared rejuvenated in the trailer for the action film "As Deep as the Grave," where he can be heard telling another character: "Don't be afraid of the dead and don't be afraid of me."
The project was carried out with the agreement of Val Kilmer's family, who granted access to video archives used to recreate the actor at different periods of his life.
New rule for foreign films
The use of artificial intelligence remains a sensitive issue in Hollywood. It was notably at the heart of the 2023 strikes which paralyzed the American film industry, with actors and screenwriters warning that, without supervision, this technology would threaten the very existence of their professions.
Among the other changes made to the Academy's regulations is a change in the terms of nomination of films in the best international film category.
Until this year, only a film selected by an official national body could be presented, which posed a problem for any critical film made in an authoritarian state.
This, for example, forced the Cannes Palme d'Or winner "A Simple Accident", by Iranian dissident Jafar Panahi, to represent France at the Oscars, because the film was ignored by the Islamic Republic.
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Under the new rules, a non-English language film will now be able to be presented in this category if it wins an eligible award at a major international film festival, including Cannes, Berlin, Busan, Venice or Toronto.
The film will then be considered nominated in that category, not the country. Its director will be “inscribed on the plaque of the statuette after the title of the film”, accompanied by the country if applicable, announced the Academy.
With AFP
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