LOS ANGELES — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced rule changes for the 99th Oscars that include artificial intelligence protections for actors and writers and expanded eligibility for international films. The new rules are scheduled to take effect next year, covering films released in 2026.

Under the revised guidelines, only roles demonstrably performed by humans with their consent are eligible for Acting awards, and screenplays must be human-authored. The Academy reserves the right to investigate the use of generative AI in any submission. The new qualification rules require all nominated screenplays and performances to be completely human-made with no AI assistance allowed. The rules do not apply to technical categories such as visual effects or sound design.

AI creations such as Tilly Norwood are ineligible for Acting awards. "Can't wait to go to the Oscars!" said Tilly Norwood.

In a statement, the Academy said the changes respond to listening to the global filmmaking community and addressing barriers to entry in its eligibility process. The Academy said its rules and eligibility standards have always evolved alongside technologies such as sound, color, and CGI and that AI is no different. Awards rules and guidelines are reviewed and refined each year. The Academy has not disclosed how it will verify compliance with the human-only requirement.

The Academy also revised the way acting nominations are tabulated. Qualifying human actors can now receive multiple nominations in the same category for different performances if each performance receives enough votes to place in the top five. Under previous rules, an actor could only receive one nomination per category, with only the performance receiving the most votes advancing if they had multiple high-ranking performances.

"If an actor has an extremely prolific year, might we even see someone swallow up three of the five nominations?" said Pete Hammond, chief film critic and awards columnist for Deadline. "Probably won't happen, but it's now possible." he said.

For international films, the new rules allow multiple films from the same country to compete, and the nomination honor is given to the filmmakers rather than to countries. Historically, countries owned the nomination for international films and only one film per country was allowed. International films can qualify as the official selection of their countries or by winning the top prize at a major international festival such as the Palme d'Or at Cannes, the Golden Lion at Venice, or the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

The Academy's Awards Committee oversees the rules in tandem with branch executive committees including the International Feature Film Executive Committee and the Scientific and Technical Awards Executive Committee. Awards rules and guidelines are reviewed and refined each year.