'Humans in the Loop': Film on AI becomes Oscar-eligible
What's the story
Aranya Sahay's film, Humans in the Loop, has been awarded the Film Independent Sloan Distribution Grant. This comes as the movie became eligible for consideration at the Academy Awards after securing US theatrical release. The Sloan Distribution Grant is given by Film Independent and Alfred P Sloan Foundation to support narrative features that meaningfully engage with science or technology themes.
Film's theme
'Humans in the Loop' explores machine learning ethics
Humans in the Loop tells the story of an indigenous woman working at a rural data-annotation center in Jharkhand, India. The film explores the ethics and moral dilemmas of machine learning while emphasizing empathy, lived experiences, and cultural knowledge. Sahay expressed gratitude to Film Independent and the Sloan Foundation for allowing them to take this important conversation about AI across the US.
Oscar eligibility
'Humans in the Loop' entry into Oscar race
Following its US theatrical release and meeting other eligibility criteria, Humans in the Loop has officially qualified to be a contender for the 98th Academy Awards. The film will compete in the Best Original Screenplay category, reported Variety. Producer Mathivanan Rajendran said that through the film and their work at the Museum of Imagined Futures, they've been creating space for technologists and creatives to rethink how stories about technology are told.
Grant's impact
'Humans in the Loop' joins ranks of acclaimed films
The Sloan Film program has supported over 850 screenplays, short films, and features in the past two decades. Acclaimed films like The Imitation Game, Hidden Figures, The Man Who Knew Infinity, and Oppenheimer have all received support from this program. The grant makes Sahay and Rajendran Film Independent Fellows. Dea Vazquez, Associate Director of Fiction Programs at Film Independent said they are proud to bring awareness about Humans in the Loop through this grant.