AI has crashed Hollywood like an uninvited guest at a glamorous gala, staging Brad Pitt versus Tom Cruise brawls and unveiling uncanny copies of Avengers: Endgame trailers or secret Stranger Things finales. It teeters on the verge of co-directing, and the Oscars, awash in nominations, must decide its place.

Even as machines rewrite scripts and create digital stars, the Academy has made it clear whether it considers its creativity artificial or not.

Films created with the assistance of Generative Artificial Intelligence can be considered for an Oscar, but eligibility depends on human authorship. The 98th Oscars’ rules make it clear that AI neither improves nor diminishes a film’s chances. The true focus is on the human mind behind the story, and the performances.

Judges are asked to weigh accomplishments based on human contribution, with AI considered only as a supporting instrument, while filmmakers have to disclose to what extent they used AI and as a tool for what. It is neither hailed as a miracle nor blamed as a menace; it simply exists in the wings. Meaning that the awards remain a celebration of human creativity, allowing filmmakers to experiment without surrendering authorship to machines.

All in all, if artificial intelligence did all the heavy lifting, the Academy is unlikely to swoon. At the same time, it is not as rigid as Keanu Reeves when it comes to AI; filmmakers could always take its helping hands. 

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If anyone wants to study AI’s place in Hollywood, they need look no further than this year’s Oscar contenders.

In Sinners, AI-assisted visual effects were used to construct intricate supernatural imagery that would have been impractical through traditional methods alone. The film’s creative direction, narrative tone, and performances remained firmly human-led, with AI functioning as an extension of the visual effects team rather than a replacement.

Even as the Academy updates technical standards and the rules for Oscars speeches, the nominations underline one principle: artificial intelligence may assist, but human creative leadership still earns recognition.

These nominations follow the quite controversial use of AI in The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez last year. The Academy clarifies its AI position alongside its speech rules this year, ensuring innovation thrives without stifling creativity.

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Do you think this year’s Oscars nominees strike the right balance with AI? Let us know in the comments!