Whether or not you can use AI in your work will likely be determined by your professors, your boss, or by editorial review boards. If generative AI is permitted, you must acknowledge the use of it in your work. Failure to acknowledge the use of AI in your work could be considered academic misconduct and could lead to penalties.
One problem with acknowledging the use of AI is that there currently is not a set statement that everyone uses. If you are using AI in your coursework or in a professional publication, make sure to verify what information is required in an use statement.
All AI use statements should have the name of the tool and the prompt used. For example:
This page was created with assistance by ChatGPT using the prompt "list the information needed for a statement acknowledging the use of AI."
Other things to consider including are the date the tool was used, link to the tool, and how it was used. For example:
I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT to help identify the required the parts of an AI use statement for the Ethically Using Artificial Intelligence Guide. The prompt "list the information needed for a statement acknowledging the use of AI" was entered on September 23, 2024.
In addition to creating an AI use statement acknowledging that you have used AI, many citation style manuals have specified rules for citing AI-generated results. Below are the current recommended citations for AI-generated works.
APA Citation
APA treats AI-generated works the same way that it treats personal communications and cites them as so. This is because AI-generated works cannot be replicated by another person.
In-text
Author of Al Program, Year of version used
Example: (OpenAI, 2023)
Reference list
Author of AI Program. (Date). AI tool (version) [Large language model]. URL
Example: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
See more at the APA website.
MLA Citation
Reference list
"Description of prompt used," prompt, AI tool, version, date created, URL.
Examples:
“Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.
“Pointillist painting of a sheep in a sunny field of blue flowers” prompt, DALL-E, version 2, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, labs.openai.com/.
See more examples and learn more at the MLA website.
Chicago Citation
Chicago does not require you to cite AI-generated works as long as you acknowledge them in your paper (e.g. "The following song was generated by ChatGPT"). However, there are some guidelines if your professor does require citations:
Note
If prompt used is included in text of the paper: Text generated by AI Program Name, Author of AI Program, Month Day, Year, URL.
If the prompt used is not included in the text of the paper: Text generated by AI Program Name, response to "prompt," Author of AI Program, Month Day, Year, URL.
Examples
Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, March 7, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat.
ChatGPT, response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” OpenAI, March 7, 2023.
See more at the Chicago website.
