On this page
Updated . Example details checked against The MLA Style Center, "How do I cite generative AI in MLA style?" (its own example).
The Chicago format
Pattern
Response to “prompt,” Tool, Company, Month Day, Year.
- Notes only for a chat others cannot open.
- With a public share link, add the URL and a bibliography entry under the company.
- In your sentence, you can name the prompt instead and keep the note short: Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, March 8, 2023.
A real example
Footnote (no bibliography entry)
Response to “Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald,” ChatGPT, OpenAI, March 8, 2023.
When details are missing
- No prompt in the note: say what you asked in your sentence.
- Edited AI text: say so in the note: “edited for style.”
Common mistakes
- A bibliography entry for a private chat. Only shareable output is listed.
Or let Format do it.
Choose AI-generated content and fill in your prompt, the tool, its version, the company, the date and the link to the chat if you shared it. Format writes the notes in Chicago, exactly as shown above, and builds the bibliography page when you export to Word or PDF. Chicago is part of Pro, $4 a month or $29 a year; MLA and APA are free.
Questions
What if my instructor wants it listed?
Format’s Chicago export can list AI chats when you turn that on.
Author-date?
Cite it in the text: (ChatGPT, OpenAI, March 8, 2023).
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in Chicago
Every source kind is on the Chicago page, and every style is on How to cite.