AI in Hollywood: The Oscars Establish New Rules on AI-Generated Content

Since May 1st, social media has been buzzing: the Academy of Oscars would have banned artificial intelligence in cinema. In reality, the new rules adopted for the 99th ceremony (March 2027) only concern two specific categories. AI-generated performances cannot compete in acting categories, and scripts produced by a machine are ineligible for writing awards. For all other categories (visual effects, sound, editing, music), AI remains allowed. The Academy simply asks producers to declare their use and reserves the right to request details on the extent of human intervention.

The president, Lynette Howell Taylor, summarized the position in one sentence: humans must remain at the center of the creative process. A principle that leaves considerable room for interpretation.

Val Kilmer, Tilly Norwood: the two cases that forced the hand

Two cases accelerated the drafting of these rules. A few weeks ago, the film As Deep as the Grave was presented at CinemaCon. Val Kilmer appears for 1 hour and 17 minutes, digitally resurrected with the consent of his family from voice archives and facial capture. The question was unprecedented: can a deceased actor be nominated for Oscars for an AI-reconstructed performance?

In light of these two precedents, the Academy chose to draw a line. computer-generated character

No general ban, but a clear condition: only performances played by humans with their consent can be eligible for a statue.

The Europe is preparing a far more restrictive framework

Where the Academy is content with eligibility rules for a ceremony, the European Union is about to legislate. The AI Act comes into general application on August 2, 2026. Article 50 requires generative AI providers to mark their outputs (audio, image, video, text) in a machine-readable format. Users of deepfakes will have to declare their artificial nature, and those with a sexual character would simply be prohibited. The text provides an exemption for works that are « obviously artistic or fictional », but the boundary remains unclear. The European Commission published a second set of best practice guidelines on marking generated content in March. The final version is expected in June.

As for festivals, Cannes took the lead in April 2026. Thierry Frémaux and Iris Knobloch excluded films whose scripts, visuals, or main performances are generated by AI from the Palme d’Or. Technical tools (sound restoration, image cleaning, standard VFX) remain accepted with a declaration. The BAFTA banned AI avatars in its acting categories as of February 2026. The César, however, have adopted no formal rules. Voice actor Emmanuel Curtil (French voice of Jim Carrey) had nevertheless used the February ceremony to call for legislation protecting human voices.

In France, the SACD launched a legal offensive. A jointly signed open letter with SCAM, SACEM, and SNE collected over 21,000 signatures by the end of April. The goal: pushing the National Assembly to revive the bill proposal on the presumption of AI use of works. The Senate already voted it on April 8. The CNC organized in October 2025 a day dedicated to responsible AI in animated imagery, with Jean-Michel Jarre and representatives of Mistral AI. Since 2024, any film supported by the CNC must include a carbon footprint report including the traceability of AI usage.

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Source : France 24