How do you cite AI in APA style?
Cite the company as the author. APA's template is: Author. (Year). Title (Version) [Descriptor]. URL — for example: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat. In text: (OpenAI, 2023) or OpenAI (2023). APA explicitly says AI output is not a personal communication.
Why — the first-principles explanation
The whole rule follows from one decision APA made, and once you see it the format is obvious. APA's reasoning: "with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating." So you cite the model the way you'd cite software, not the way you'd cite a person.
That kills the two mistakes people make. First, you can't cite it as a personal communication — that format exists for a human who said something to you privately, and there's no human here. Second, you can't list "ChatGPT" as the author. The author slot in APA holds whoever is responsible for the work, and that's the organization that built the model. OpenAI is the author; ChatGPT is the title.
The version number matters more than it looks. A normal citation points at something fixed — page 40 of a book stays page 40 forever. AI output does not. Ask the same question twice and you get different text; ask it next year and the model itself has changed underneath you. So the version is doing the work a page number does: pinning down which thing you consulted. It's an imperfect fix, since your reader still can't reproduce your exact output, which is why APA also recommends including the full prompt and response in your paper or an appendix when the output matters.
The deeper thing to understand: citing the AI is not citing evidence. If ChatGPT tells you a fact, the citation "(OpenAI, 2023)" documents that a model produced text — it doesn't establish the fact is true. So use this format when the AI's output is the object of study: you're analyzing what it wrote, you used it as a tool, you're quoting it as an example. If you just want the fact, go find the real source and cite that.
And check your own rules first. APA gives you the format; your instructor or journal decides whether you're allowed to use AI at all, and many policies are stricter than the style guide. Common App's fraud policy, for instance, treats misrepresenting AI output as your own original work as fraud. Formatting a citation correctly doesn't make prohibited use permitted.
An example that makes it click
Think about citing a calculator. You wouldn't write "(Calculator, personal communication)" — the calculator didn't tell you anything, it ran a process. You'd cite Texas Instruments, the company that made it, and note the model number so someone knows which machine you used.
APA treats ChatGPT identically. OpenAI made the machine. ChatGPT is the model name. "Mar 14 version" is the model number. And the calculator's output isn't proof your math premise was right — that's still on you.
How to do it
- Use APA's reference template: Author. (Year). Title (Version) [Descriptor]. URL
- Author = the organization that made the model — OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Microsoft. Not "ChatGPT."
- Date = the year of the version you used.
- Title = the model name, in italics. Example: ChatGPT.
- Version = in parentheses right after the title, e.g. (Mar 14 version). Use whatever version label the tool gives you.
- Descriptor = in square brackets, e.g. [Large language model].
- URL = the direct link to the tool.
- Full example: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
- In text: parenthetical (OpenAI, 2023) or narrative OpenAI (2023).
- Because output isn't reproducible, include the exact prompt and the response in your text or an appendix when the output is what you're discussing.
- Check your instructor's, institution's or journal's AI policy before using it at all — the style guide tells you how to cite, not whether you may.
Key facts
- APA's reference template for generative AI: Author. (Year). Title (Version) [Descriptor]. URL
- APA's worked example: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
- In-text formats: parenthetical (OpenAI, 2023); narrative OpenAI (2023).
- APA states that "with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating," so AI output must not be cited as a personal communication.
- The author is the organization that developed the model, not the model itself; the model name goes in the title slot, italicized.
- APA's guidance page on citing ChatGPT was last updated September 15, 2025.
- Common App's fraud policy treats intentionally misrepresenting the substantive content or output of an AI platform as one's own original work as fraud — a reminder that citation format and permission are separate questions.
▶ The 60-second explainer (script)
Cite the company, not the chatbot. APA's template is: Author, year, title, version, descriptor, URL. So: OpenAI, 2023, ChatGPT — italicized — parentheses Mar 14 version, brackets Large language model, then the URL. In text, that's (OpenAI, 2023). Why that shape? APA's reasoning is one line: with ChatGPT-generated text, there is no person communicating. So you cite it like software, not like a person. That kills the two mistakes people make. You cannot cite it as a personal communication — that format is for a human who told you something privately, and there's no human here. And you cannot put ChatGPT in the author slot. The author is whoever's responsible for the work. OpenAI made it. ChatGPT is the title. The version number is doing more work than it looks. Normally a citation points at something fixed — page 40 stays page 40. AI output doesn't. Ask the same question twice, get different text. Ask next year, the model changed underneath you. So the version pins down which thing you consulted. It's an imperfect fix, which is why APA also says to include your full prompt and the response in your paper or an appendix when the output matters. And here's the part people miss. Citing the AI is not citing evidence. "(OpenAI, 2023)" documents that a model produced text. It doesn't make the text true. Use this format when the output itself is what you're studying — you're analyzing it, quoting it, or used it as a tool. If you just want the fact, go find the real source. Last thing: APA tells you how to cite. Your instructor tells you whether you're allowed. Check that first.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
Can I cite ChatGPT as a personal communication in APA?
No. APA is explicit that with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating, so the personal communication format doesn't apply. Cite the developer as author instead.
Who is the author — ChatGPT or OpenAI?
OpenAI. The company that built the model goes in the author slot; the model name goes in the title slot, italicized. Same logic for Google and Gemini, or Anthropic and Claude.
What if there's no version number?
Use whatever version label the tool displays, and if there isn't one, use the date you accessed it and say so. Because output isn't reproducible, APA recommends including your exact prompt and the response in your text or an appendix.
Do I cite the AI or the sources it gave me?
The sources — if you're using them as evidence. Citing the AI documents that a model produced text, not that the text is true. And always click through: models generate citation-shaped text that can point at pages that don't exist.
Am I allowed to use AI in my paper at all?
That's not APA's call. Your instructor, institution or journal decides, and many policies are stricter than the style guide — some ban AI outright, some allow grammar checking only. Correct formatting doesn't authorize prohibited use.