Oscars 2026: Academy Sets New Rules, Welcomes AI Films

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, recently announced the date of the 98th Academy Awards ceremony. The prestigious Oscars night will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026. The Academy had also announced a new category for Best Stunt Design.

On Monday, the Academy’s Board of Governors formulated new rules and campaign promotional regulations for the Oscars 2026. As per the latest rules set by the Academy, the Academy voters must view all films before casting their votes. Furthermore, the voters will also have to demonstrate that they have watched all the films in each category before casting their final ballots. The members will be monitored on a dedicated voters-only streaming platform to ensure that they have watched all films.

Over the years, there have been concerns that most voters usually skip watching a few films before voting for their favourite movies. In addition, the voters must fill out a form to mention when and where they watched a particular movie, such as in theaters or during the festival screenings. During their awards campaigns, the studios competing for Best Picture and other categories host star-studded events to attract voters with parties, screenings and festival showings, and Q&A sessions with the stars and filmmakers.

In a significant addition, the Academy has also issued guidance welcoming movies that use Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. The Academy has said that AI and other digital tools neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination.

The Academy further stated that it will take into account the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship when judging which movie to award. The Academy paved the red carpet for movies that use AI following the controversy that erupted during the last ceremony, when award-winning movies such as The Brutalist and Emilia Perez were questioned for using the AI technology.