Oscars consider making AI disclosure mandatory

Submissions may reveal usage through form

In light of the controversy surrounding The Brutalist, the Motion Picture Academy is considering making it a requirement for films to disclose AI use when submitting for the Oscars, as per Variety. Creators of historical drama feature The Brutalist prompted backlash after the film's editor Dávid Jancsó admitted that the filmmakers used AI to enhance performances, in an interview with Red Shark News in January.

Other Oscar contenders who have been honest with this approach are Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, sci-fi feature Dune: Part Two, and musical thriller Emilia Pérez. The employment of AI in all these films has called into question the popularity of the technology, causing the Academy to look for ways to revise Oscar submission requirements.

Currently, the Academy has declared it optional to disclose AI use through a form. However, Governors and Branch executive committees are examining the use of AI in each branch and aiming to make disclosure mandatory for the 2026 Oscars race. The new rules are expected to be published in April, Variety reported.

Visual effects tools and processes have long been benefiting from AI use. But this year, the Visual Effects Society Awards will be taking a closer look at this through the emerging technology category, which includes nominees like the Australia-based Rising Sun Pictures' Revize machine learning toolset. This has to do with digital ML augmentation, such as facial performance modification and deaging. It was used in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, A Complete Unknown, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

A veteran VFX branch member weighed in on the use of AI in filmmaking. "Awards decisions should be made knowing what the human artist did to achieve the results. And using new tools in innovative ways that pave the path forward for everyone else is a big contribution," the source said. "Honoring what all the crafts do together is what the season is about."