The Chicago Manual of Style Guide: Artificial Intelligence & Chatbots

1. AI tool title
2. Description of the prompt or task (if not mentioned in the text)
3. Date of the conversation (month day year, with the month spelled out)
4. AI tool publisher
5. Tool URL (not the URL for the prompt)

See the Chicago Style Manual for additional guidance.

AI-generated images are an emerging technology, and there are not yet clear guidelines for how to incorporate them into existing referencing styles. Our current recommendation for how to reference AI-generated images for Chicago Style is included below. Additionally, we recommend that you include the question or prompt that generated the image where possible, to provide context for your readers.

From a copyright perspective, you are considered the creator of work that is generated by prompts that you enter into the AI tool, follow the caption rules for your own work. Include the AI tool that was used as well as the prompt.

To include the AI generated image in your work, provide a figure number and brief title above the image. Below the image, provide a caption that explains that the work was generated using an AI tool, and what prompt was used. No reference list entry is required for an image that you have produced using an AI tool.

Caption

Figure number. Description or explanation.

Example:

Figure 1. Image generated using Adobe Firefly from the prompt brown owl in a forest.

The source of your images should be credited, including those generated by AI tools (see CMOS 3.29-37). Images are not usually listed in a bibliography or reference list, but if included, consider using the following format for AI-generated images.

Example:

Adobe Firefly. Response to “Brown Owl in a Forest." Adobe. Dec. 5, 2023. 

Author. Name of AI tool - Adobe Firefly.

Prompt (Title). Response to “Text prompt in quotes.” - Response to "Brown Owl in a Forest."

Publisher/Sponsor. Organization/Developer of AI tool - Adobe.

Date. Date content was generated, Month Day, Year - Dec. 5, 2023.

URL. Use unique URL for shareable content or a general URL for inaccessible content (i.e., requires personal login or subscription) https://firefly.adobe.com/

The Chicago Manual of Style recommends that you acknowledge ChatGPT and similar AI tools when you reproduce its words and other content (e.g., images) within your own work.

When using AI in your course assignments, it is important to:

• Confirm with your professor whether AI tools like ChatGPT are allowed for each assignment
• Verify information and sources generated by AI tools

Remember that AI can generate false information, cite non-existent sources (or, "hallucinations"), and ignore principles of attribution. This raises ethical concerns when choosing it for your scholarly research.

Note: Guidance on the academic use of AI tools is changing rapidly. Check here often for up-to-date guidelines or Ask a Librarian!

AI-generated text is cited as personal communication because the conversation cannot be accessed by other people. All citations for AI chatbots should include the name of the AI, a description of the prompt, and the date accessed. With footnotes or endnotes, also include the organization that created the AI and the URL. The CMOS website suggests citing AI in footnotes or endnotes, like other sources, and mentioning all of the relevant information, such as a description of the prompt and the date you accessed it. Alternatively, you can cite AI in Chicago using parenthetical citations if you prefer the author-date system. Do not include AI chatbots in the bibliography or reference list. 

Footnote or Endnote Example:

1 Text generated by ChatGPT. OpenAI, July 5, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

• Number. Footnote or endnote number based on its sequence in the body of your text - 1.
• Author. Name of AI tool - ChatGPT
• Publisher. Developer of AI tool - OpenAI
• Date. When content was generated, Month Day, Year - July 5, 2023.
• URL [optional]. This is not considered an essential element of the citation, particularly when AI-generated content is not accessible (i.e., requires personal login or subscription). If included, use unique URL for shareable content or a general URL for inaccessible content - https://chat.openai.com/chat.

If the prompt hasn’t been included in the text, it can be included in the note as follows:

12 ChatGPT, response to "Tell me how to fix a bicycle tire," OpenAI, July 5, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

• Number. Footnote or endnote number based on its sequence in the body of your text - 12
• Author. Name of AI tool - ChatGPT
• Prompt (title). Response to “Text prompt in quotes” - response to "Tell me how to fix a flat bicycle tire"

• Publisher. Developer of AI tool - OpenAI

• Date. When content was generated, Month Day, Year - July 21, 2023

• URL [optional]. This is not considered an essential element of the citation, particularly when AI-generated content is not accessible (i.e., requires personal login or subscription). If included, use unique URL for shareable content or a general URL for inaccessible content - https://chat.openai.com/chat.

If you’ve edited AI-generated text, you should acknowledge this in your text or at the end of the note (e.g., edited for style and content).

Shortened Footnote or Endnote Example:

If the same reference is used again, the shortened form of the note should be used.

12 ChatGPT.

Author-Date Style Example:

CMOS recommends mentioning the prompt in the text:

… based on an AI response to “summarize the life of Martin Sheen” (ChatGPT, December 15, 2023).

If you’re using author-date style instead of notes, any information not provided in the text can be placed in a parenthetical text reference (see CMOS 15.53).

(ChatGPT, June 8, 2023).

(OpenAI's ChatGPT, response to prompt from author, February 22, 2023)

• Author. Name of AI tool - ChatGPT
• Prompt. Response to prompt from author

• Date. When content was generated, Month Day, Year - February 22, 2023

Do not include AI chatbots in the bibliography or reference list. Because personal communications are non-retrievable, they do not require a full citation at the end of the paper. Rather, citations should only be footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical citations.

If you are required or would like to include generative AI citations in your bibliography or reference list, consider citing ChatGPT and similar AI tools like a personal communication such as an email, phone, or text conversation (see CMOS 14.214).

Example:

ChatGPT. Response to “Tell me how to fix a flat bicycle tire.” OpenAI. July 21, 2023. https://chat.openai.com/share/b139f195-93eb-447b-bc6d-2440a541ea71.

• Author. Name of AI tool - ChatGPT.
• Prompt (Title). Response to “Text prompt in quotes.” - Response to "Tell me how to fix a flat bicycle tire."
• Publisher. Organization or Developer of AI tool - OpenAI.
• Date. Date content was generated, Month Day, Year - July 21, 2023.
• URL. Use unique URL for shareable content or a general URL for inaccessible content (i.e., requires personal login or subscription) - https://chat.openai.com/share/b139f195-93eb-447b-bc6d-2440a541ea71.

If you’ve edited AI-generated text, you should acknowledge this in your text or at the end of the note (e.g., edited for style and content).