Academy Awards [AP=Yonhap News File Photo]

The host of the prestigious American Academy Awards (Oscars) has codified a rule that performers created by artificial intelligence (AI) are not eligible for awards.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on the 1st (local time) revealed new regulations for next year's 99th awards ceremony, which will exclude AI-generated characters or screenplays written by chatbots from award consideration.

For acting categories, only roles that are listed in the official cast of a film and performed by humans with their consent will be subject to evaluation.

Consequently, characters created by AI or performers modeled after other actors will not be able to receive awards.

For screenwriting categories, a requirement has been specified that only screenplays authored by humans will be considered for evaluation.

This measure is interpreted as a reflection of concerns from actors and writers due to advancements in AI technology, such as the emergence of a film that resurrected the late, famous actor Val Kilmer using AI technology, and ByteDance's AI video generation model "Shanshui 2.0" creating vivid videos that appear to be real footage with just short commands.

However, the Academy has not completely prohibited the use of AI in filmmaking.

The Academy maintained its rule from last year: "Generative AI and other digital tools used in filmmaking do not positively or negatively affect award nominations."

However, the Academy has decided to consider the extent of human creative involvement when selecting award winners.

If questions arise regarding the use of AI, the Academy may request additional information about how the technology was used and the extent of human creative contribution.

The Academy has also revised the regulations for the International Feature Film category, deciding to include films that have received awards at major international film festivals, even if they were not selected by their country's official committee.

Major international film festivals that fall under this category include Cannes, Venice, and Berlin Film Festivals, considered the top three film festivals in the world, along with Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals, and South Korea's Busan International Film Festival.

This revision is interpreted as a measure to protect independent films that are unable to get an opportunity for submission due to political reasons in authoritarian countries.

In fact, "Just a Shot Away," directed by Jafar Panahi of Iran, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year, was not submitted as Iran's official entry but was submitted as France's entry.

Meanwhile, actors will now be able to be nominated in the same category for multiple films.

For instance, if a male actor delivers outstanding leading performances in two films, he can be nominated for Best Actor for each of those performances.

The eligibility period for the 99th Academy Awards is for feature films released between January 1 and December 31 of this year.