Authorship and AI tools COPE position Last reviewed:13 February 2023 Share Using your device X Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Authorship and AI toolsThe use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT or Large Language Models in research publications is expanding rapidly. COPE joins organisations, such as WAME and the JAMA Network among others, to state that AI tools cannot be listed as an author of a paper. Authorship and contributorship Cite this as:COPE Council. COPE position - Authorship and AI - English.https://doi.org/10.24318/cCVRZBms© 2024 Committee on Publication Ethics (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) https://publicationethics.org <img loading="eager" src="/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_2_3_sm/public/2024-11/cope-position-icon.png?h=d91475b6&amp;itok=Z0KPUlSC" width="510" height="765" alt="Icon indicating a position statement" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img u-w-full" decoding="async"/> COPE positionThe use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT or Large Language Models in research publications is expanding rapidly. COPE joins organisations, such as WAME and the JAMA Network among others, to state that AI tools cannot be listed as an author of a paper.AI tools cannot meet the requirements for authorship as they cannot take responsibility for the submitted work. As non-legal entities, they cannot assert the presence or absence of conflicts of interest nor manage copyright and license agreements.Authors who use AI tools in the writing of a manuscript, production of images or graphical elements of the paper, or in the collection and analysis of data, must be transparent in disclosing in the Materials and Methods (or similar section) of the paper how the AI tool was used and which tool was used. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, even those parts produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics. Further information Further reading Artificial intelligence in decision making COPE discussion documentArtificial Intelligence COPE lightning talk AI and fake papers, COPE Forum discussion Artificial intelligence and authorship COPE editorialThe challenge of AI chatbots for journal editors guest editorial Change history 20 August 2024Version 1 published CommentsMember comments will be published immediately. Non-member comments will be reviewed before publishing, to ensure they are respectful and relevant to the topic. Publication of comments does not signal endorsement by COPE.Inappropriate comments will be deleted. Please read the COPE Code of Conduct for events and discussions for expected behaviour during events and when participating in online discussions on the COPE website. Sign up or login to post comments You must be logged in to leave a comment on the COPE website. If you are not a member of COPE you can register to create a guest account. Create a guest account Login Topic discussions Open to all View all Managing conflicts of interestConflicts of interest (COIs) are highly relevant to the credibility of the published literature. This discussion considers COIs in both pre-publication and post-publication stages. Join the discussion Geopolitical events and scholarly publishingHow should journals and publishers respond to geopolitical events or national legislation which affect scholarly research? Join the discussion Emerging AI dilemmas in scholarly publishingHere we discuss key accountability measures, emerging tools and guidance to ensure ethical standards in an environment increasingly shaped by AI in 2025.

 Last reply 15 Sep 2025 3 comments Join the discussion View all Related guidance View all guidance Use the arrows to browse related guidance Discussion document Artificial intelligence (AI) in decision making Learn about the ways that AI can enhance decision-processes in publishing while addressing ethical concerns about accountability and transparency. Topic discussion Artificial intelligence (AI) and fake papers The rise of AI in research paper production raises concerns about integrity and fraud, prompting the need for better detection tools and strategies against authorship issues and bias. Seminar and webinar Artificial intelligence and peer review In this session, the state of artificial intelligence (AI) in peer review is discussed. Next slide Next slide View all guidance Discover COPE Focus View all COPE Focus COPE Focus brings together our most important resources on a topic, providing up to date, carefully chosen collections. COPE Focus on artificial intelligenceThe use of AI in the publication process is intended to increase the speed of decision making during the review process and reduce the burden on editors, reviewers, and authors. The adoption of AI raises key ethical issues around accountability, responsibility, and transparency. Read more <img loading="lazy" width="1110" height="740" class="img u-w-full" alt="Robotic hand hovering over a keyboard" decoding="async" src="/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_12_col_width_xl/public/2025-06/cope-focus-ai-2143x1429-3-2.jpg?h=888143e8&amp;itok=jraOYSNX"/> View all COPE Focus