Oscar leaders are welcoming the use of AI in film — with caveats.
On Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences updated its rules for eligibility, voting and campaigning, and acknowledged the growing use of AI in film.
Using artificial intelligence and other digital tools to make a film will “neither harm nor help the chances of achieving a nominations,” the Academy shared in a statement.
The Academy’s statement noted that it will take into account elements of human touch when selecting which nominated films to award.
“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,” per the statement.
Several films nominated and awarded at the 2025 Academy Awards used AI tools — prompting the Academy to consider whether or not to require filmmakers to disclose during the submission process if they used AI tools, per Variety.
The 10-time nominated film about a Hungarian immigrant, “The Brutalist,” landed in hot water during awards season over its use of AI to enhance its actor’s Hungarian accents, per Vulture. The film took home three statuettes, one which went to Adrien Brody for best actor.
Other nominated films, “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Pérez” and “A Complete Unknown” also used AI tools.
A veteran member of the Visual Effects Facility told Variety, “Awards decisions should be made knowing what the human artist did to achieve the results.”
“It’s never been possible to get a great digital performance that wasn’t based on a human actor,” the source added. “I think any person in any craft will say it’s collaboration. That’s always going to be the case.”
Some influential filmmakers, such as “Avatar” filmmaker James Cameron, have offered support for use of AI in filmmaking.
“I’ve spent my career seeking out emerging technologies that push the very boundaries of what’s possible, all in the service of telling incredible stories,” Cameron said, per the BBC.
He continued, “I was at the forefront of CGI over three decades ago, and I’ve stayed on the cutting edge since...Now, the intersection of generative AI and CGI image creation is the next wave.”
Will AI be a threat to jobs in Hollywood?
Growing use of AI in film could threaten some Hollywood jobs.
A 2024 study surveyed 300 leaders in the entertainment industry and nearly three quarters of respondents indicated that generative AI supported the elimination, reduction or consolidation of their jobs.
The study predicts that more than 200,000 jobs in the entertainment industry will be disrupted in the U.S. by 2026. The positions under the highest threat are those in sound engineering, voice acting, concept art and entry-level roles.
In March, more than 400 Hollywood actors, filmmakers, musicians, writers and others signed an open letter sent to the Trump White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, encouraging the administration not to weaken copyright protections for AI, per Variety.
The letter included signatures from Ben Stiller, Paul McCartney, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Simon, Cynthia Erivo, Taika Waititi and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
“We firmly believe that America’s global AI leadership must not come at the expense of our essential creative industries,” the letter said, as reported by Variety.
“AI companies are asking to undermine this economic and cultural strength by weakening copyright protections for the films, television series, artworks, writing, music and voices used to train AI models at the core of multibillion-dollar corporate valuations.”
When are the next Oscars?
The 98th annual Academy Award ceremony will air on March 15, 2026. Conan O’Brien will return to host for his second consecutive year.