New Delhi, March 16 -- Conan O'Brien strode onto the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday evening and wasted no time in announcing the stakes. "I am Conan O'Brien and I am honoured to be the last human host of the Academy Awards," he told the audience assembled for the 98th edition of the ceremony. "Next year it's going to be a Waymo in a tux."

It was the kind of opener that set the tone for the evening - wry, self-aware, and attuned to the cultural anxieties swirling around an industry that finds itself increasingly scrutinised for its relationship with artificial intelligence.

The evening's sharpest moment of levity arrived swiftly. Citing elevated security measures at the venue, O'Brien told the room: "I hear there are c...