The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has revealed a slate of dramatic rule changes approaching the 99th Academy Awards in 2027. Ahead of the centennial anniversary of the awards ceremony, the organization has confirmed its stance on the use of generative AI, and it indicates that humans are taking centre-stage going forward.
Oscars awarded for any acting categories will only be handed out for roles ‘demonstrably performed by humans with their consent,’ and only screenplays provably written by a human hand will be eligible for writing-based awards.
Many have questioned how this might have a ripple effect in the awards space for gaming, particularly around ceremonies like The Game Awards and the BAFTA Games Awards.
Will Games Awards Turn Their Back on AI Input?
In December, the Indie Game Awards disqualified the multi-award-winning spectacle, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, for using generative AI during the game’s development. This was a move that generated intense backlash, but it set something of a precedent.
As the Academy has taken steps to address the use of generative AI in movie production, gaming fans have now questioned what this means for the most important awards circuits in their world. After all, the likes of the BAFTA Games Awards and The Game Awards do not have strict rules regarding generative AI, likely because of how commonplace it’s becoming in gaming.
In today’s update from the Academy, it was confirmed that acting awards will go exclusively to humans, and writing awards will be reserved for those who can prove they didn’t use generative AI to create their scripts.
It was stated in the new ruling:
Under Eligibility (Rule Two) regarding Generative Artificial Intelligence, the Academy reserves the right to request more information about the nature of the use and human authorship.
Therefore, almost any use of generative AI can be questioned by the Academy. It has already been noted that this effectively writes off the likes of Avengers: Doomsday and Michael, two of this year’s biggest releases.
But where does this leave awards shows dedicated to gaming?
Many accused organizers of snubbing Embark Studios and ARC Raiders last year, when it was made clear that the company used generative AI to replicate voices and speed up the delivery of new content.
The declaration or discovery of gen-AI content can be enough to derail a game’s popularity train. In recent months, we saw games like Marathon (Bungie), Crimson Desert (Pearl Abyss), and Black Ops 7 (Activision) all come under fire for using generative AI to create in-game assets, either in a live release or in the earlier developmental phases.
Would the likes of BAFTA mirror the Academy’s seismic steps and lock down award eligibility based on these factors? It’s possible, and we’ve seen it happen on a smaller scale already.
Do you think the Academy is right to lock out generative AI from the Oscars? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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