The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has revealed a collection of major rule changes as it heads into the 99th Academy Awards in 2027.
The Academy announced its latest moves Friday, confirming changes for how it views its long-running award show as technology becomes more advanced and as perspectives in the entertainment industry shift. Included in the list of new rules are a few notable highlights, including a new approach to how the Academy will handle artificial intelligence.
Rules related to the acting category now note that roles must be “performed by humans with their consent” in order to be eligible. This change, specifically, is almost certainly in response to fears that AI-generated actors could soon pollute the movie business. The Academy also noted that screenplays must be “human-authored” in order to be eligible in the writing categories.
What many have started calling AI-generated actors have already become a talking point in Hollywood in recent years, with the most notorious example being Tilly Norwood. More recently, audiences expressed their disappointment after it was revealed that an AI-generated version of Val Kilmer would appear in the film As Deep as the Grave after he passed away last year. Based on these new rules the Academy provided, examples like these will be barred from winning that coveted Oscar statuette.
“Under Eligibility (Rule Two) regarding Generative Artificial Intelligence,” the rule update added, “the Academy reserves the right to request more information about the nature of the use and human authorship.”
Elsewhere, the updated ruleset notes that actors can be nominated for multiple performances in the same category, starting with next year’s 99th Academy Awards. It means that, so long as an actor gives performances that place in the top five votes, they can be nominated more than once in one category.
The Hollywood Reporter notes one instance from 2009 where, had this rule been in place then, Kate Winslet, who won for The Reader that year, may have also been nominated for her appearance in Revolutionary Road. Two nominations, however, means that an actor may actually have to compete against themselves, leading to a potentially split vote and perhaps even an overall loss.
Other highlights include a few changes to international films, such as nominees in the International Feature Film Category being credited as the film itself instead of its respective country or region. The Casting category is seeing its maximum statuette awards increased from two to three. Eligibility for Original Songs placed during end credits has also been clarified, as the Academy noted: “For songs submitted as the first new music cue once the end credits begin, the video clip must include the last 15 seconds of the film before the credits begin.”
The 99th Academy Awards will be held Sunday, March 14, 2027, and it’ll be the first instance of the new category for stunt design. We’re still getting a look at the full picture for what may be nominated next year, so until then, you can see who took home awards at the 98th annual Oscars show this year.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
