Late last week, the Oscars announced new eligibility rules with an eye toward the rise of AI. Acting roles must be “demonstrably performed by humans with their consent,” while screenplays “must be human-authored.” (You can read the full list of rules here.) Today, the Golden Globes countered with its own adjusted rules, and the boundaries are… somewhat blurrier.
The Golden Globes cover a wider swath of media than just movies, including TV shows, made-for-TV movies, and podcasts. Moving forward, “the use of artificial intelligence (AI), including generative AI, does not automatically disqualify a work from consideration, provided that human creative direction, artistic judgment, and authorship remain primary throughout the production process,” according to the Globes’ new guidelines (read the full list here).
“All submitted work will be evaluated based on the extent to which creative direction, artistic decision-making, and execution originate from credited individuals,” it continues. “AI and similar technologies may be used as part of the production process … but may not replace the core creative contributions of human talent. All submissions must include a disclosure describing any generative AI used anywhere in the production of the completed work, including if any AI alteration was made to a credited performer’s likeness or voice.”
However, that doesn’t mean your Tilly Norwoods have a green light to start taking over. “Performances submitted for acting categories must be primarily derived from the work of the credited performer. Submissions in which a performance is substantially generated or created by artificial intelligence are not eligible,” the Globes caution.
The use of AI “for technical or cosmetic enhancements”—like those freaky de-aging special effects flashbacks are so fond of using—”may be permissible, provided the underlying performance remains that of the credited individual and AI does not replace or materially alter the performer’s work.”
AI tools can only be used “to enhance or support a performance that remains fundamentally human-driven and under the creative control of the credited performer, and that any such use is authorized by the performer.”
The Globes are careful to note that the awards will not consider “performances generated through the unauthorized use of a performer’s digital likeness, voice replication, or biometric data, whether or not the performer is otherwise credited.”
There’s similar language applied to the non-acting categories, where work “remains eligible provided that the core creative contributions in the relevant craft (including but not limited to direction, writing, composition, and animation) originate primarily from credited human individuals, and that any use of AI or generative tools serves a supporting or enhancing role rather than substituting for that human creative authorship. All disclosure requirements apply consistently to submissions in these categories.”
In short: your Golden Globes submissions can use AI if you use it as an enhancement but not as a replacement, and you have to disclose when it’s been used. Still, it feels like opening the door even a crack has the potential to be problematic; as has already become extremely clear, once AI slop worms its way into any form of media, it’s incredibly difficult to shovel it back out again. Here’s hoping Hollywood recognizes the responsibility that comes with this wiggle room—and that the Golden Globes can find a realistic and ethical way to enforce its new guidelines.
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