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AI disclosure statement

Also called AI use statement · Declaration of AI use

An AI disclosure statement is a written declaration accompanying a piece of work that records which AI tools were used, for what, and at which stage of its production.

Last reviewed 15 August 2026 · The HumanFlow team

In plain English

A short paragraph saying what you used and what you used it for.

The whole value is in the specifics. A statement that does not describe anything has not disclosed anything.

A worked example

Three statements about identical work.

Useless:
  AI was used in the preparation of this work.

Better:
  I used ChatGPT to produce an outline and to correct grammar.

Useful:
  I used ChatGPT (GPT-5) at the planning stage to produce an outline,
  and later to correct grammar and clarity in sections 2 and 3. All
  sources were located and read by me. I have verified the content
  and take responsibility for the accuracy of the claims in this work.

The first names a category and describes nothing. A reader who wanted detail now has to ask, which is the opposite of what disclosure is for.

The second is a real improvement and takes ten seconds longer to write.

The third adds the two things assessors actually want to know: which parts of the work it touched, and whether you stand behind the result. It also states what the tool did not do, which is often the most informative line in it.

Why it matters for AI detection

Requirements now appear in university policies, journal author guidelines and funder conditions, and they differ enough that there is no universal wording. Yours is set by whoever is receiving the work.

Declaring permitted use is not an admission of anything. The situations that cause real trouble are undisclosed use where disclosure was required, and inaccurate declarations — both procedural failures, and both avoidable.

A disclosure is also not a substitute for permission. If a tool was not allowed, saying so afterwards does not make it allowed; if it was allowed, the statement is simply the record it was meant to be.

Commonly confused with

Citing an AI tool
A citation credits a source you drew content from and sits in your reference list. A disclosure describes your process and sits in a declaration. Some work needs both, for different reasons.
Academic integrity policy
The policy sets out what is permitted. The disclosure records what you did. A statement cannot make a prohibited use permitted, and it is not intended to.

Read next

Part of the AI detection glossary.