Oscar bans AI actors and scripts, with new rules in the 99th edition requiring signatories to pledge human origin.

American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) officially announces new rules for the 99th Academy Awards: AI-generated performances and scripts are ineligible for nominations. Production companies must sign an “Oath of Human Origin” and clearly credit human actors in the end credits.
(Background: Altman appears with Pokémon: hoping Nintendo won’t sue us… OpenAI’s new Sora model sparks copyright battles)
(Additional context: Elon Musk teases xAI’s first “AI-generated game” to launch by the end of next year, potentially disrupting game production models?)

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• What the new rules say
• Why now?
• AI hasn’t been kicked out of theaters

The Oscars are drawing a line: as long as performances and scripts are not created by humans, they are disqualified. The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences releases the new rules for the 99th Oscars, explicitly excluding AI-generated performances and scripts from eligibility.

What the new rules say

The academy’s new regulations revolve around two core requirements.

In terms of performances, only those “credited in the end credits and clearly performed by a human with their consent” qualify for nominations. This definition effectively sets a double threshold: not only must a human be involved, but there must also be clear documentation of the person’s authorization. AI-synthesized voices, AI-reconstructed faces, AI-animated movements—no matter how advanced—are all disqualified.

For scripts, the rule is straightforward: “Must be written by a human.” The academy has not specified what percentage of the script must be human-written, nor whether AI-assisted editing counts, but the core intent is clear: the writer must be a flesh-and-blood person.

The academy also requires production companies to sign an Affidavit of Human Origin and reserves the right to request full disclosure of AI usage.

Why now?

In 2023, Hollywood experienced its largest dual-strike in history: actors’ and writers’ unions simultaneously walked off the job. One of their main demands was to establish regulations on AI use and to protect members’ likenesses and writings from unauthorized AI replication. The strikes eventually reached an agreement, but AI issues were not resolved—they were merely postponed.

Since then, the problem has continued to grow. The emergence of an AI “actress” named Tilly Norwood has prompted serious discussions: if an AI face can be cast in a film, who still needs real actors?

A more concrete case is the upcoming film “As Deep as the Grave,” which plans to recreate the performance of the late actor Val Kilmer using AI technology for 77 minutes. Kilmer passed away in April 2025 due to complications from throat cancer. The production team obtained cooperation from his family, but this case alone has made the academy unable to remain silent.

AI hasn’t been kicked out of theaters

However, these regulations are not meant to ban AI altogether.

The academy explicitly states that AI can still be used in technical aspects, including visual effects (VFX), sound design, and production tools. In other words, AI can make explosion scenes more spectacular or environmental sounds more precise, but it cannot replace an actor’s on-camera performance or a screenwriter’s structural judgment.

This stance may not resolve all disputes, but the academy’s move is more like planting a flag: we are drawing a line here, and future debates will be addressed later.