AI-generated actors and scripts are now ineligible for Oscars

In Brief

Posted:

2:54 PM PDT · May 2, 2026
Photo of Oscar statue
Image Credits:Angela Weiss / Getty Images
  • Anthony Ha
  • Anthony Ha

AI-generated actors and scripts are now ineligible for Oscars

The organization behind the Academy Awards released new Oscar rules on Friday, including several that address the use of generative artificial intelligence.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said that only performances “credited in the film’s legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent” will be eligible for Academy Awards. Similarly, the academy said that screenplays must be “human-authored” to be eligible.

The academy also said it has the right to request more information about a film’s AI usage and “human authorship.”

These rule changes come as an independent film is in the works with an AI-generated version of Val Kilmer, as AI “actress” Tilly Norwood keeps making headlines, and as new video models are causing at least a few filmmakers to make sweeping declarations of despair. AI was also one of the main sticking points in the actors’ and writers’ strikes back in 2023.

Outside Hollywood, at least one novel has been pulled by its publisher due to the apparent use of AI, and other writers’ groups are declaring that AI usage makes work ineligible for awards.

Topics

academy awards, academy of motion picture arts and sciences, AI, Media & Entertainment


StrictlyVC Athens is up next. Hear unfiltered insights straight from Europe’s tech leaders and connect with the people shaping what’s ahead. Lock in your spot before it’s gone.

REGISTER NOW

Newsletters

See More

Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news

TechCrunch Daily News

Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage.

TechCrunch Mobility

TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight.

Startups Weekly

Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly.

StrictlyVC

Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day.

No newsletters selected. Subscribe

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice.

Related

  • Greta Gerwig attends the Headline Gala screening of
    Media & Entertainment

    Netflix delays Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ movie for big theatrical push in 2027

    • Anthony Ha
    10 hours ago
  • AI-generated actors and scripts are now ineligible for Oscars
    Government & Policy

    Pentagon inks deals with Nvidia, Microsoft, and AWS to deploy AI on classified networks

    • Ram Iyer
    1 day ago
  • Media & Entertainment

    Netflix gets 35 Oscar nominations, including 10 for ‘Mank’

    • Anthony Ha
    Mar 15, 2021

Latest in Media & Entertainment

  • Photo of Oscar statue
    In Brief

    AI-generated actors and scripts are now ineligible for Oscars

    • Anthony Ha
    6 hours ago
  • Ask.com logo
    In Brief

    Farewell, Jeeves: Ask.com shuts down

    • Anthony Ha
    6 hours ago
  • Greta Gerwig attends the Headline Gala screening of
    Media & Entertainment

    Netflix delays Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ movie for big theatrical push in 2027

    • Anthony Ha
    10 hours ago