BAFTA published its rules for the 2027 Film Awards on 22 July 2026 and opened entries the same day. The headline change is a clause on generative AI: the awards are meant to honour human achievement, and where AI or digital tools are relevant, BAFTA may ask entrants for details of how they were used and how much human creative involvement remained.
“We're never going to allow an AI actor”
Emma Baehr, BAFTA executive director of awards and content, to The Hollywood Reporter · hollywoodreporter.com ↗
Emma Baehr, BAFTA's executive director of awards and content, described the wording as a chance to dig deeper when something needs checking. There is no fixed percentage of AI use that rules a film out; cases go to the film committee one by one. AI performers are a firmer line. BAFTA says an AI actor can never win, and that Tilly Norwood, the synthetic performer, is not eligible.
Other changes are more routine. The Outstanding British Film longlist grows from 15 to 20 titles, with ten nominations still decided half by membership vote and half by jury. Casting Chapter members now vote alongside the Acting Chapter when performances are longlisted and nominated, and a jury picks five performers for the longlist. "Children's & family film" becomes "family film" with its criteria unchanged, and the ban on multiple nominations in one performance category stays. Productions are also asked for bullying and harassment policy information, mandatory only for the British categories.
The AI wording follows the Academy's larger changes in May 2026, which bar AI actors and screenplays not written by humans, and BAFTA's own addition of "human achievement" language last year. Adrien Brody's win for The Brutalist, where AI refined his Hungarian accent, was eligible under that year's rules and is not being revisited. The Human Provenance in Film Initiative called the clause more a holding statement than a clear policy.
Round one voting is on 4 December, longlists come on 7 January 2027, final voting opens on 26 January, nominations follow on 29 January and the ceremony is on 21 February. Baehr said the rules may change again next year, and BAFTA declined to comment on a possible AI-only craft category.