How to write an AI acknowledgement statement
An AI acknowledgement is a short note, usually two to four sentences, that says which AI tools you used, what you used them for, and what you did with what they gave you. You add it to your assignment or paper so your marker or editor knows exactly how AI was involved.
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A template you can fill in
I used [tool] ([company], [link]) on [date] to [what you used it for]. [What you did with the output, e.g. I rewrote anything I used in my own words.] [Where your prompts are, e.g. My prompts are in the appendix.]
Many universities have their own wording. If yours does, use that instead. The generator below fills it in for 30 universities.
The five things it should say
- The tool, and the version if you can see it.
- Who makes it, with a link to the tool.
- What you used it for, in plain words: brainstorming, checking grammar, explaining a concept.
- Your prompts, or a few examples of them.
- What you did with the output: rewrote it, checked it against sources, or left it out.
Some universities ask for more. Monash wants the number of rounds of prompts. Sydney wants the version, publisher and URL. UTS wants to know how you checked the output was accurate.
Where it goes
There's no single answer. Here is how five different places handle it:
- University of Melbourne
At the end, under the heading “Declaration”, after the reference list.
- University of Queensland
On the assignment coversheet, or the form your course gives you.
- Massey University
In an appendix, with a full record of your prompts and the AI's output.
- Elsevier journals
In its own section at the end, just before the references.
- IEEE
In the Acknowledgments section.
Your unit outline or the journal's author guide has the final say. Find your university.
Examples
Grammar and spelling only
You wrote everything yourself and used AI to tidy up the final draft.
I used Grammarly (Grammarly, https://www.grammarly.com) on 9 October 2026 to check grammar and spelling. I reviewed and edited its suggestions before using any of them.
General format
Brainstorming and planning
AI helped you get started, but none of its words are in your essay.
I used ChatGPT (GPT-5, OpenAI, https://chatgpt.com) on 9 October 2026 to brainstorm ideas and suggest a structure for my work. My prompts included “Suggest three angles for an essay on urban heat islands”. None of the AI's output appears in my final work. A full record of my prompts and the outputs is available on request.
General format
Coding help
You used an AI assistant to write or fix parts of your code.
I acknowledge the use of Claude (https://claude.ai) to help write and debug code. I checked the facts it gave me against the original sources. I reviewed and edited its suggestions before using any of them. A full record of prompts and outputs is available upon request.
University of Melbourne format
Journal article (several authors)
You used AI to polish the language of a manuscript.
During the preparation of this work the authors used ChatGPT in order to suggest clearer wording for some sentences and check grammar and spelling. After using this tool/service, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.
Elsevier format
Mistakes that cost marks
- Being too vague. The University of Auckland's law school gives "I used AI to help with research" as an example that isn't enough. Say which tool, what task, and how you checked it.
- Skipping it because you didn't use AI. At La Trobe the AI acknowledgement is compulsory whenever a subject allows AI, even if you didn't use it. What to write instead.
- Not keeping your prompts. Monash asks students to save their prompt history and be ready to show it. Massey wants every prompt and output in an appendix.
- Mixing it up with a reference. The acknowledgement says how you used AI. A reference is for when you quote or use what it produced. You may need both. How to reference AI.
Make yours
Pick your university, tap what you did, and copy.