When referencing an AI chat or tool generally, you will need the author's details for your in-text citation and reference list.

Who is the author?

The author is the company responsible for developing the AI tool. Although these companies did not “write” the generated text in the traditional sense, the author element of an APA Style reference is broadly defined as who is “responsible for a work.” Whereas in some other references, that is an individual author, editor, film director, here it is the organisation that created the AI tool. For example, OpenAI is the author of ChatGPT, and Google is the author of Gemini.

Where there is no company name, we suggest using the individual creator(s) or developer(s).

Where do I find the author details of the AI tool?

• Ask the AI you are using (verify your answer is real and not a hallucination).
• Try an internet search. Use the term company in your search (If there is no company name, try the terms developer, founder or creator).
• Look for the 'about' page on the AI company website or within the AI tool itself.

ChatGPT example question

(OpenAI, 2025)

Reference

OpenAI. (2025, October 23). Creator of ChatGPT [Generative AI chat]. ChatGPT. https://chatgpt.com/share/68f96ed3-c0b8-800b-8398-4aed257a2719