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Acknowledging your use of generative AI may not always involve a formal citation. For example, you could write a description of the tool you used and how you used it. Kari D. Weaver's article, "The Artificial Intelligence Disclosure (AID) Framework: An Introduction," provides suggestions and examples of what to include in an AI usage statement. For guidance on how to acknowledge use of AI in assignments, check with your course instructor.
Some citation styles have developed guidelines for citing AI-generated content. The following examples are based on information provided by popular styles. Guidelines may change and new examples may be added, so check back frequently for updates, and consult resources specific to the citation style you are using. If the style does not yet have relevant guidelines, you could consider using the format for software.
An APA Style Blog post gives citation examples along with more advice for using and citing generative AI. APA recommends treating the organization or individual who developed the model as the author.
Because the examples in the blog post were last updated in April 2023, some of the information may no longer be applicable. For example, ChatGPT no longer provides date-based versions that can easily be found and included in references. The following templates and examples use APA-style format as their basis but have been adapted based on ongoing changes to generative AI tools.
(Author/Creator of AI model, Year of version used)
(OpenAI, 2024)
(Black Technology LTD, 2024)
Author/creator of AI model. (Year of model). Name of model (Version of model) [Type or description of model]. Retrieved month day, year, from https://xxxxx
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT 3.5 [Large language model]. Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://chat.openai.com
Black Technology LTD. (2024). Stable Diffusion (Online version) [Image generator]. Retrieved February 28, 2024 from https://stablediffusionweb.com
An FAQ entry on the Chicago style website describes how AI models can be cited, and the 18th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (sec. 14.112) gives more information. Chicago recommends only citing AI in a note (for the notes-bibliography system) or a parenthetical citation (for the author-date system) and not in a bibliography or reference list. However, the Chicago Manual does show how to format a bibliography or reference list entry if one is needed.
Note number. Description of prompt, AI model including version, publisher/developer, date the text was generated, URL if available.
(Omit the prompt or any other details if you describe them in your text.)
1. Response to "List some keywords related to the topic of environmental impacts of generative AI," ChatGPT-3.5, OpenAI, November 21, 2024, https://chatgpt.com/share/673fb625-697c-8011-a230-ce8a2c34f138.
2. Image generated in response to "Pepperoni pizza" in a surrealist style, Stable Diffusion, Black Technology LTD, February 28, 2024.
Publisher/Developer. Description of prompt. AI model including version, date the text was generated. URL if available.
OpenAI. Response to "List some keywords related to the topic of environmental impacts of generative AI." ChatGPT-3.5, November 21, 2024. https://chatgpt.com/share/673fb625-697c-8011-a230-ce8a2c34f138.
Either in the text or in a parenthetical citation, include details like the AI tool you used (including version if available), the date the content was generated, and a description of the prompt. A parenthetical citation should include any information not described in your text.
ChatGPT-3.5 generated a list of keywords about environmental impacts of generative AI (OpenAI, November 21, 2024).
I gave Stable Diffusion the prompt, "Pepperoni pizza" and selected a surrealist style (Black Technology LTD, February 28, 2024).
Publisher/Developer. Year the text was generated. Description of prompt. AI model including version, month and day the text was generated. URL if available.
OpenAI. 2024. Response to "List some keywords related to the topic of environmental impacts of generative AI." ChatGPT-3.5, November 21. https://chatgpt.com/share/673fb625-697c-8011-a230-ce8a2c34f138.
MLA gives guidance and examples in their MLA Style Center post about citing generative AI. MLA does not recommend treating AI tools as authors, so citations should skip the author element. You should include a stable URL for the generated information. If no shareable link is available, you can instead give the general URL for the AI tool.
For more information, visit MLA's AI Resources.
Include the "title of source" element, shortened based on MLA guidelines if needed. For generative AI, the title will usually be a description of what was generated by the AI model.
("Describe the symbolism")
("Green light")
“Title of source" prompt. Name of AI Tool, version, Company, Date content was generated, URL to AI tool or archived content.
“Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT, model GPT-5, OpenAI, 26 Sept. 2025, chatgpt.com/share/68d6c58b-0c70-8011-bca9-4bf89956d5c7.
"Green light in The Great Gatsby in a futuristic style" prompt. Stable Diffusion, Stable Diffusion XL model, Black Technology LTD, 28 Aug. 2025, https://stablediffusionweb.com.
Different publishers are taking different approaches related to the use of generative AI. If you are writing for publication, check the publisher's information for authors.
This page was adapted from ChatGPT and Other Generative AI Tools by the University of Queensland Library, which is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.