Wanna bet? "AI isn't going to get you an Oscar"
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science announced a new AI policy. It's a shift that signals a new cultural age.
“Sure [AI] will get an outline done, but if you need something with emotional weight, an AI isn't going to get you an Oscar.” That’s the take of Jonathan Kendrick, a streaming service executive, who surely has a lot of relevant experience and expertise in creating compelling content. The issue is he’s already been proven wrong.
Oscar-winning films such as Emilia Perez and The Brutalist relied on AI to make their stories richer by refining and improving the voices of their actors—in the case of the former, AI gave a boost to actors’ vocal performances; in the latter, it helped Adrian Brody maintain a Hungarian accent. These films are not outliers. AI tools have been a part of editing movies, music, and other creative content for a long time. These directors are not cheaters. Just about anyone can affordably access incredibly capable tools. Nor, in my opinion, are these films any less emotionally compelling and culturally valuable.
Can you imagine a Jurassic Park movie without special effects? I don’t think a film with paper machete dinos would similarly capture our attention and dare us to imagine the implications of science pushed to its limits.
Let’s picture King Kong absent advanced technology:
Thankfully, this will not be coming to a theatre near you (at least not a good one). The Academy's decision to not penalize films for AI usage in Oscar considerations indicates studios will likely explore and expand AI integration in their productions. That’s a welcomed change.
The problem with using AI in creative endeavors isn’t the use itself but rather the lack of transparency. Folks rightfully feel duped when they purchase a song or read a book without understanding who created it and how. That’s the reason why the use of AI in The Brutalist, for instance, raised more cries of concern than the use of similar tools in a superhero movie—everyone knows that AI and other tech makes The Avengers more visually compelling but few had a clue that Brody was AI-enhanced.
For the short term, it’s important to disclose such uses of AI so that people do not feel cheated or robbed. That sense of being swindled will only exacerbate the already widespread unease surrounding AI. Just how much transparency is required will vary by the medium and the stakes at issue. I do not think that excessive disclosures are warranted by news organizations, for example. People increasingly assume that writers may leverage AI to create an outline, draft an initial article, and refine the final product. The key is aligning AI notice with societal norms and values.
Over the long run, the need for transparency will fade as folks come to expect and even appreciate the integration of AI into movies and just about every cultural medium. There may still be a space for solely human-created pieces of art (at least I hope so!) but that will likely become the exception. The fact of the matter is that AI has the potential to democratize the creation of incredibly moving and compelling pieces of art—that’s something we should welcome. AI may also make it easier to tell stories from new perspectives and share histories that previously went uncovered—again, all good stuff!
Regarding workforce implications, the integration of AI into cultural industries presents a complex tapestry of opportunities and challenges. Historically, technological shifts have transformed creative labor markets in ways that both displace and create forms of work. The introduction of AI tools follows this pattern but accelerates both the pace and scope of change.
For established creators, AI presents a bifurcated reality: those who adapt these tools may find their creative capabilities extended and production efficiencies dramatically improved. However, many mid-tier creative professionals—background actors, production designers, commercial illustrators, and editorial photographers—face potential displacement as AI systems increasingly generate content that previously required their specialized skills. This displacement disproportionately affects those in the middle of creative hierarchies, particularly concerning for creatives from underrepresented communities who have only recently gained industry footholds.
The democratization of creative tools also introduces paradoxical effects on workforce dynamics. While lowering barriers to entry expands who can participate in cultural production, it simultaneously creates market saturation that depresses wages and working conditions. Platforms capitalizing on AI-generated content often embrace business models that extract value from creative labor while providing minimal compensation—a pattern observed previously with social media and content aggregation services.
Labor organizations in cultural industries must evolve to address these emerging realities, developing new frameworks for compensation, credit attribution, and intellectual property that reflect how creative processes incorporate AI assistance. Educational institutions training future creators likewise need curriculum transformation to develop both technical fluency with AI tools and the critical thinking necessary to deploy them thoughtfully.
The most sustainable path forward likely involves reconceptualizing creative work not as a competition between human and artificial intelligence, but as a collaborative ecosystem where technology extends rather than eliminates the uniquely human dimensions of cultural production.
In wrestling with the implications of AI in creative industries, we must recognize that technological transformations have always reshaped cultural production—from the printing press to photography to digital editing. What differs today is not the presence of change but its acceleration and breadth. As we navigate this transition, the wisdom of historical perspective suggests neither uncritical embrace nor reflexive rejection serves us well. Instead, a balanced approach that centers human dignity while harnessing technological potential offers the most promising path forward.
The cultural industries of tomorrow will likely feature a hybrid landscape where AI augments rather than replaces human creativity, but reaching this equilibrium requires intentional policy design, educational reform, and ethical frameworks that prioritize fair compensation and meaningful work. Just as previous generations established norms and structures around emerging technologies—from copyright law to labor protections—our task is to shape AI's integration in ways that distribute its benefits broadly while mitigating concentrated harms. The ultimate measure of our success will not be technological sophistication alone, but whether these tools have expanded creative opportunity, diversified cultural expression, and enhanced our collective capacity to tell stories that illuminate the human condition.