BAFTA Sets New Rules and Bans Nominations for AI Actors

BAFTA has confirmed that actors generated by artificial intelligence will never be eligible for its awards. The British academy updated its rules to require information about the use of AI in productions and reaffirmed that the awards exist to recognize "outstanding human achievement," regardless of the tools used.

In a statement, BAFTA said its awards are "presented annually to recognize, honor and reward individuals for their outstanding human achievement". The academy’s awards executive, Emma Baehr, explained that AI "is evolving at a very fast pace" and that the organization needs the right to investigate specific uses of the technology. "If anything comes up, we have the right to request further information, because ultimately BAFTA is about recognizing human achievement", Baehr told The Hollywood Reporter.

The decision makes Tilly Norwood, an AI actress set to debut soon in a feature film, ineligible for any academy award. When asked whether Norwood could ever compete, Baehr was unequivocal: "No. That is not human".

The rule, however, does not affect human actors who use AI to enhance performances – Adrien Brody, for example, used the technology to help with the Hungarian accent in The Brutalist and was eligible for the award.

Among other changes, BAFTA expanded the longlist for Best British Film from 15 to 20 titles and increased the participation of its casting chapters in voting for the acting categories. The children’s category was renamed Family Film, with the aim of better reflecting films that appeal to multiple generations. Baehr and BAFTA head of film Deirdre Hopkins did not comment on the possibility of creating a specific category for AI-generated projects.