Academy Says Oscars Will Keep Celebrating Human Artistry—No Matter What AI Throws at Hollywood

The Academy made it clear in Tokyo: as AI keeps creeping into filmmaking, the Oscars are staying locked in on human excellence. Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor and CEO Bill Kramer told Variety that won't change—the statuette is still for the people who actually make the work, not the machines they use.

That said, the Academy isn't pretending the tech conversation doesn't exist. They're keeping the door cracked open on how they'll handle all this as things evolve. It's a tricky balance—staying true to what the Oscars have always been about while acknowledging the industry's shifting reality.

On the international feature side, things are still taking shape. The Academy's working through tweaks to their rules now that festivals have a new pathway to get films in the race. Year one of any new system is messy; they're aware of that and ready to adjust as they learn what works.

The real move here is the Academy saying: we're paying attention, we're not panicking, and the craft still matters most. That's the energy.

Read the full story at Variety → https://variety.com/2026/film/festivals/oscars-always-reward-human-excellence-ai-era-academy-1236932637/