The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has made watching every nominated film a requirement for Oscar voters, and has set new rules covering artificial intelligence and refugee filmmakers.

The mandate on viewing forms the core of the change. Until now, members could vote in categories where they had not seen all the nominated films. The new rule closes that gap and ties a ballot to completed viewing of the nominees.

What does the viewing mandate change?

The mechanism is straightforward: a member who wants to vote must first watch all the films nominated in the relevant race. That applies the same standard to every voter and removes the earlier practice of casting ballots on partial viewing.

For the race itself, the change matters most where nominees differ sharply in availability. Films that stream late, open small or screen only in limited runs often lose votes from members who never saw them. A full-viewing requirement forces every nominee onto equal footing.

Takeaway: every nominated film now reaches every voter's screen before a ballot counts.

What do the AI rules say?

The Academy has also set rules on artificial intelligence in moviemaking. The guidance arrives as AI tools spread through visual effects, de-aging, voice work and screenwriting, and as awards bodies weigh whether machine-made work deserves credit.

The rules give voters and campaigns a fixed reference point. Instead of case-by-case judgment, the Academy now states where AI stands in the eligibility and credit structure.

Takeaway: AI use now has written rules rather than guesswork.

What changes for refugee filmmakers?

The third element addresses refugee filmmakers. The Academy has set new provisions that recognize filmmakers displaced from their home countries, whose work often falls outside standard national-submission frameworks for the international feature category.

The provisions open a defined path for these filmmakers to compete, where previous rules tied entries to a submitting country.

Takeaway: displaced filmmakers gain a route into the competition they previously lacked.

Why did the Academy act now?

All three changes land as the industry debates AI, as conflict and displacement scatter talent across borders, and as the Academy faces pressure to prove its voting process rewards seen work over name recognition.

Together the rules tighten the pipeline from nomination to ballot. Voters must watch what they judge, campaigns must follow written AI rules, and refugee filmmakers gain formal standing.

The Academy has rewritten the fine print, and the fine print shapes who wins.