“Neither help nor harm the chances”: Here’s what we know about Oscars 2026 rules for Generative AI usage in movies

According to the latest update from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Oscars 2026 will be decided based on some new rules. These changes will be made for Oscars given in the Cinematography, Animated Short, and International Feature Film categories. The upcoming Oscars will also include a new category to honor the talent that goes into casting for a film.

The Academy voters will be required to watch all the films in the category they will be voting for. This new rule for the Oscars 2026 led to a wide range of reactions online, most of which questioned how the winners would be chosen until 2026. One of them wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

“Absolutely insane this wasn’t already a thing."

On an Instagram post, one user commented:

"Were they voting without watching all the films before this? What a joke lmao"

On the same post, another user questioned how they can ensure this:

"I don’t…know how they are going to enforce this? — Someone could just hit play and then go into another room or something."

In addition to the change in the voting system for the Oscars 2026, another decision was met with strong reactions. The Academy has revealed how the use of Generative AI in films can impact their chances at the Oscars.

Here's what the rule says for the rule of AI in movies for the Oscars 2026:

“With regard to Generative Artificial Intelligence and other digital tools used in the making of the film, the tools neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination. 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.”

Here's what the Oscars 2026 rule related to the use of Generative AI means

The Academy's latest decision does not offer any conclusive stance on the use of generative AI in movies eligible for the Oscars 2026. Instead, it reveals a vague criterion of judgment to review movies based on whether "a human being was at the heart of the creative authorship." It does not clarify how it would be judged or analyzed by the voters.

This lukewarm decision for the Oscars 2026 comes only a few months after Brady Corbet's The Brutalist and Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez came under fire for using AI in their performances.

Reports say that Emilia Pérez used generative AI to enhance the singing voice of its star Karla Sofía Gascón, while The Brutalist faced criticism for using it to enhance the accent of its lead actor, Adrien Brody, who plays a Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor architect in the film. After the news broke out, director Brady Corbet clarified the AI usage, saying:

“Adrien and Felicity’s performances are completely their own. They worked for months with dialect coach Tanera Marshall to perfect their accents.”

Despite the outrage regarding their use of generative AI, Adrien Brody won an Oscar for his acting performance, and Emilia Pérez won an Oscar for a song, partially performed by Karla Sofía Gascón. Only a few months after their wins, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, who has led the streamer to the heights of its commercial success, said:

“I read the article too about what Jim Cameron said about making movies 50% cheaper. I remain convinced that there’s an even bigger opportunity to make movies 10% better. So, our talent today is using AI tools to do set references, pre-vis, VFX sequence prep, shot planning, and all kinds of things today that kind of make the process better.”

Through his comments, he reduces filmmaking to VFX-driven videography, sidelining human talent that could otherwise be employed for these creative tasks—ultimately bearing the brunt of cost-cutting measures.

The Academy's recent decision for the 2026 Oscars fails to address these concerns, raising questions about its broader impact on the industry. Perhaps Seth Rogen will weigh in during upcoming episodes of The Studio.

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Also read: New Oscars 2026 rule makes it mandatory for voters to watch nominated films to qualify for voting

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