The Oscars' latest rules take a neutral stance on AI

The Academy has announced changes to rules that will affect the 98th Academy Awards. These new rules now state that generative artificial intelligence and digital tools will neither “help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination.”

The Academy’s Board of Governors has officially approved rules for the upcoming Academy Awards, which will be held on March 15th, 2026.

The organization, known most commonly as The Oscars, has made a rather neutral decision regarding artificial intelligence (AI).

Previous use cases suggest that AI wasn’t fondly looked upon in cinema. Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist was criticized for its vague use of generative AI in the film, as was Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez.

However, the new rules seem to suggest that the use of generative AI and digital tools in films will “neither help nor harm” a film’s chances of being nominated for an Oscar.

This is the Academy’s first official rule when it comes to defining the role of artificial intelligence and new technologies in film.

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,” the announcement reads.

This neutral stance on AI and new technology is arguably not in line with Hollywood's history, as advancements in technology and Hollywood go hand in hand.

However, some may take this as a nudge in the right direction, as netizens and critics can no longer unduly criticize the use of AI and advanced digital technology in film.

This eliminates the controversies that films like Emilia Perez and The Brutalist faced ahead of the previous Oscars event.