What are the rules on how to cite AI?

There are different rules on how to cite AI depending on your specific context.

You shouldn’t cite AI as a source of factual information. But if you’re studying AI, you may be able to cite it as a primary source. Understand how to cite sources in the style relevant to your industry or project, and then look at how the manual says to cite AI.

If you use AI in other ways (e.g., developing research questions), some institutions require you to cite it. Check your institution’s guidelines.

Educators understand how AI detectors work (like QuillBot’s free AI Detector) and can detect AI writing, so it’s important to be clear in your citations.

What are the rules on how to cite AI?: AI writing tools

What do teachers use to detect AI?: Teachers use a mix of strategies and tools to detect AI.

One method teachers use to detect AI is manual analysis. Teachers look at grammar, style, tone of voice, and the themes present in writing to see if it feels human.

Teachers also know how AI detectors work and how to use them to analyze writing. AI detectors can check—for example—essay writing to see if the qualities of the essay match human samples or AI samples.

QuillBot’s free AI Detector is one of the tools that can help teachers detect AI.
How can you check if an image is AI generated?: There are a few ways you can check if an image is AI-generated.

First, review the image for anything that doesn’t look quite right. AI-generated images often have distorted text, patterns, or human features (especially faces and hands).

Second, check for metadata information. Some AI image generators use specific filenames or imprint a watermark on their images.

Third, understand how AI detectors work and how you can use them to analyze the probability that an image was generated by AI.

And if you need help detecting texts generated by AI, QuillBot’s free AI Detector is one option.
Can AI write a book?: Yes, AI can write a book. However, a book written by AI probably wouldn’t be a very good book.

Unlike humans, AI is limited when it comes to creativity (e.g., with figurative language), themes, and tone of voice.

Despite this, AI can be helpful to human authors. For example, AI can suggest writing strategies to put writers in the right mindset.

Many publishers also use AI detectors to check that what they publish is high-quality, human-written work.

If you’d like to see how AI detectors work, you can try QuillBot’s free AI Detector.
Can AI write code?: Yes, AI can write code. That said, it is still quite limited in the quantity and complexity of code it can write.

AI can be helpful for writing basic code or for helping developers check for errors. But if you want to create an entire program or complex website, AI probably isn’t the best choice.

Keep in mind how AI detectors work: by evaluating how surprising and varied writing is. Since code is a very structured language and doesn’t contain these factors, it’s harder to tell if it was written by AI.

QuillBot’s free AI Detector can help you check if text was written by AI, but may not be good at detecting if code was written by AI due to the reasons above.
How can I use AI for writing?: There are many opinions about how to use AI for writing, and these may vary based on the industry or subject matter at hand.

For example, AI copywriting may be acceptable, but in academic writing, you should avoid relying completely on AI to generate output. Educators know how to detect AI writing.

You can use AI to help you brainstorm research questions or organize an outline. When you use AI in these capacities, check if your institution requires you to include it as a citation.

You can also use AI to check your grammar and spelling after writing. A QuillBot Grammar Check will do just this.
What are some common AI words?: Some common AI words are:

Tapestry

Crucial

Intricate

Interplay

Elevate

Resonate

Enhance

Offerings

Leverage

Embark

Just because you see one of these words in a text doesn’t mean it was written by AI. But these words are commonly used when AI generates content.

If you’re learning how to detect AI writing, brushing up on common AI words is one way to do that.

You could use QuillBot’s free AI Detector to analyze writing and see if it looks like it was created by AI.
What is the difference between AI and generative AI?: The difference between AI and generative AI is that traditional AI follows specific rules to perform a task, but generative AI creates new content.

The first type of AI included programs that made decisions based on rules (in the same way as a human expert), such as determining a person’s credit score.

A later development, machine learning AI, classifies or predicts outcomes based on patterns. An example of machine learning is

Netflix recommendations that are based on your previous viewing habits.

Generative AI tools combine machine learning with natural language processing technology. They learn from underlying patterns and use that information to “decide” what details to include in a paragraph, image, or other output.

Examples of generative AI tools that create new content include ChatGPT and Gemini.

Generative AI tools are useful for brainstorming, prewriting, and paraphrasing, but they should never be used for writing entire assignments.

QuillBot’s free AI Detector can help you ensure that the writing you submit for class assignments is based on your own writing voice and ideas.
How do you use generative AI for brainstorming and prewriting?: To use generative AI for brainstorming and prewriting, choose a generative AI tool (e.g., Gemini or ChatGPT), and type a prompt.

In your prompt, provide a brief description of the writing assignment and topic, and ask the tool to generate ideas for body paragraph topics. Place the description of your writing assignment in curly brackets.

Generative AI for brainstorming prompt example
I’m an English Composition student who is brainstorming body paragraph topics for the following assignment: {In an 800-1000 word essay, defend an argument for or against smartphone bans in U.S. public schools}. I would like you to generate a list of the pros and cons of smartphone bans. The list should cover benefits and drawbacks for students, schools, and educators.

After the generative AI tool responds to your prompt, review the list of body paragraph topics, and select the ones that you’d like to research further.

Use keywords from each item on the list as search phrases in an academic database or a search engine (e.g., smartphones and student distractions).

Then, research multiple ideas from the generative AI response in order to choose a main idea (e.g., your main argument) and body paragraph topics that are based on critical thinking.

When you’re in drafting stages of your writing task, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid errors. QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can also help you create flawless citations for your outside sources.

QuillBot’s free AI Detector can help you ensure that the writing you submit for class assignments is based on your own writing voice and ideas.

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What are the rules on how to cite AI?

What are the rules on how to cite AI?: AI writing tools