diff --git a/pkg/autogen/autogen.go b/pkg/autogen/autogen.go
index 4d6db9f2bf..ebeced6693 100644
--- a/pkg/autogen/autogen.go
+++ b/pkg/autogen/autogen.go
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 package autogen
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"strings"
 
-	jsoniter "github.com/json-iterator/go"
 	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/api/kyverno"
 	kyvernov1 "github.com/kyverno/kyverno/api/kyverno/v1"
 	kubeutils "github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/utils/kube"
@@ -190,23 +190,14 @@ func generateRules(spec *kyvernov1.Spec, controllers string) []kyvernov1.Rule {
 }
 
 func convertRule(rule kyvernoRule, kind string) (*kyvernov1.Rule, error) {
-	json := jsoniter.ConfigCompatibleWithStandardLibrary
-
 	if bytes, err := json.Marshal(rule); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	} else {
-		bytes = updateGenRuleByte(bytes, kind)
-		if err := json.Unmarshal(bytes, &rule); err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-
 		// CEL variables are object, oldObject, request, params and authorizer.
 		// Therefore CEL expressions can be either written as object.spec or request.object.spec
-		if rule.Validation != nil && rule.Validation.CEL != nil {
-			bytes = updateCELFields(bytes, kind)
-			if err := json.Unmarshal(bytes, &rule); err != nil {
-				return nil, err
-			}
+		bytes = updateFields(bytes, kind, rule.Validation != nil && rule.Validation.CEL != nil)
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(bytes, &rule); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/autogen/autogen_test.go b/pkg/autogen/autogen_test.go
index 6c5523aec4..b7c70283bb 100644
--- a/pkg/autogen/autogen_test.go
+++ b/pkg/autogen/autogen_test.go
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ func TestUpdateGenRuleByte(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
-		got := updateGenRuleByte(tt.pbyte, tt.kind)
+		got := updateFields(tt.pbyte, tt.kind, false)
 		if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, tt.want) {
 			t.Errorf("updateGenRuleByte() = %v, want %v", string(got), string(tt.want))
 		}
@@ -384,7 +384,7 @@ func TestUpdateCELFields(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
-		got := updateCELFields(tt.pbyte, tt.kind)
+		got := updateFields(tt.pbyte, tt.kind, true)
 		if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, tt.want) {
 			t.Errorf("updateCELFields() = %v, want %v", string(got), string(tt.want))
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/autogen/rule.go b/pkg/autogen/rule.go
index 07c97fdf5a..698bfe2010 100644
--- a/pkg/autogen/rule.go
+++ b/pkg/autogen/rule.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package autogen
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -312,34 +313,56 @@ func generateCronJobRule(rule *kyvernov1.Rule, controllers string) *kyvernov1.Ru
 	)
 }
 
-func updateGenRuleByte(pbyte []byte, kind string) (obj []byte) {
-	if kind == "Pod" {
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(pbyte), "request.object.spec", "request.object.spec.template.spec"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "request.oldObject.spec", "request.oldObject.spec.template.spec"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "request.object.metadata", "request.object.spec.template.metadata"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "request.oldObject.metadata", "request.oldObject.spec.template.metadata"))
+var (
+	podReplacementRules [][2][]byte = [][2][]byte{
+		{[]byte("request.object.spec"), []byte("request.object.spec.template.spec")},
+		{[]byte("request.oldObject.spec"), []byte("request.oldObject.spec.template.spec")},
+		{[]byte("request.object.metadata"), []byte("request.object.spec.template.metadata")},
+		{[]byte("request.oldObject.metadata"), []byte("request.oldObject.spec.template.metadata")},
 	}
-	if kind == "Cronjob" {
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(pbyte), "request.object.spec", "request.object.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.spec"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "request.oldObject.spec", "request.oldObject.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.spec"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "request.object.metadata", "request.object.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.metadata"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "request.oldObject.metadata", "request.oldObject.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.metadata"))
+	podCELReplacementRules [][2][]byte = [][2][]byte{
+		{[]byte("object.spec"), []byte("object.spec.template.spec")},
+		{[]byte("oldObject.spec"), []byte("oldObject.spec.template.spec")},
+		{[]byte("object.metadata"), []byte("object.spec.template.metadata")},
+		{[]byte("oldObject.metadata"), []byte("oldObject.spec.template.metadata")},
 	}
-	return obj
-}
+	cronJobReplacementRules [][2][]byte = [][2][]byte{
+		{[]byte("request.object.spec"), []byte("request.object.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.spec")},
+		{[]byte("request.oldObject.spec"), []byte("request.oldObject.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.spec")},
+		{[]byte("request.object.metadata"), []byte("request.object.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.metadata")},
+		{[]byte("request.oldObject.metadata"), []byte("request.oldObject.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.metadata")},
+	}
+	cronJobCELReplacementRules [][2][]byte = [][2][]byte{
+		{[]byte("object.spec"), []byte("object.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.spec")},
+		{[]byte("oldObject.spec"), []byte("oldObject.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.spec")},
+		{[]byte("object.metadata"), []byte("object.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.metadata")},
+		{[]byte("oldObject.metadata"), []byte("oldObject.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.metadata")},
+	}
+)
 
-func updateCELFields(pbyte []byte, kind string) (obj []byte) {
-	if kind == "Pod" {
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(pbyte), "object.spec", "object.spec.template.spec"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "oldObject.spec", "oldObject.spec.template.spec"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "object.metadata", "object.spec.template.metadata"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "oldObject.metadata", "oldObject.spec.template.metadata"))
+func updateFields(data []byte, kind string, cel bool) []byte {
+	switch kind {
+	case "Pod":
+		if cel {
+			for _, replacement := range podCELReplacementRules {
+				data = bytes.ReplaceAll(data, replacement[0], replacement[1])
+			}
+		} else {
+			for _, replacement := range podReplacementRules {
+				data = bytes.ReplaceAll(data, replacement[0], replacement[1])
+			}
+		}
+	case "Cronjob":
+		if cel {
+			for _, replacement := range cronJobCELReplacementRules {
+				data = bytes.ReplaceAll(data, replacement[0], replacement[1])
+			}
+		} else {
+			for _, replacement := range cronJobReplacementRules {
+				data = bytes.ReplaceAll(data, replacement[0], replacement[1])
+			}
+		}
 	}
-	if kind == "Cronjob" {
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(pbyte), "object.spec", "object.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.spec"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "oldObject.spec", "oldObject.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.spec"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "object.metadata", "object.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.metadata"))
-		obj = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(obj), "oldObject.metadata", "oldObject.spec.jobTemplate.spec.template.metadata"))
-	}
-	return obj
+
+	return data
 }