Before citing AI, double-check with your instructor to see if AI use is permitted. If it is, below are a few examples. APA treats the AI company (Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, eg.) as the author. The APA recommends describing how you used the AI in your methods section or introduction, rather than just the reference list.
APA Citation Template:
AI Company Name. (year, month day). Prompt used in italics [Description, such as Generative AI chat]. Tool Name/Model. URL of the chat
- Parenthetical citation: (AI Company Name, year)
- Narrative citation: AI Company Name (year)
More examples:
Anthropic. (2026, April 14). Essential grammar topics for college graduates [Generative AI chat]. Claude Sonnet 4. https://chat.chatbotapp.ai/chats/kpyQLycIwt70zYc0vjFe?model=gpt-5-mini
Google. (2026, April 14). Overview of how to write a college paper [Generative AI chat]. Gemini 2.5 Flash. https://g.co/gemini/share/a1306ce12929
OpenAI. (2026, April 14). Tips on writing a college essay. [Generative AI chat]. ChatGPT. https://chatgpt.com/s/t_69de420b594c8191ab76fab832385315
- Parenthetical citations: (Anthropic, 2026; Google, 2026; OpenAI, 2026)
- Narrative citations: Anthropic (2026), Google (2026), and OpenAI (2026)
