How to use spreadsheets the modern way

Spreadsheets have come a long way since the days when you had to manually drag formulas and copy-paste data like your life depended on it. Let's just say there's a new, smarter approach, and it starts with an incredibly powerful function.

5. You can brainstorm directly in a cell

The first time I used Google Sheets ' AI function , I didn't ask it to calculate anything. I asked it to create a tweet. That's because it's not just for analysis. It can generate text based on your prompt.

For example, inserting the following prompt into a cell will give you ideas that take into account the context of the data in cell A1:

=AI("Generate a tweet giving a behind-the-scenes look at our product design", A1)

This function can be used to brainstorm ideas for newsletter headlines, short bios, email intros, and even Instagram captions , all right in a spreadsheet.

While the AI function is limited to filling in individual cells, it integrates with the autofill feature, so the same idea can be applied to an entire spreadsheet by dragging the cursor down the cells. You won't have to repeat the process manually.

4. Grasp the main idea without reading each row and column

Let's say you have a column of customer feedback or answers from an open-ended questionnaire. Instead of reading each row, you can use an AI function to extract the key message:

=AI("Summarize this comment in one sentence", A5

You can even turn long content into bullet points with prompt like this:

=AI("List the main themes in these responses", A2:A145).

Previously, people would copy content into a document or run it through a third-party summary program. Now, content is saved right in a spreadsheet. This saves a lot of time for things like performance reviews or questionnaire analysis.

3. Easily extract the details you really need

Extracting specific details used to be one of the most annoying parts of spreadsheets. Want to just get the domain from an email address? You'd probably have to write a complicated REGEXEXTRACT formula, even better than what you'd have to write if you were using a formula that's several versions older.

=REGEXEXTRACT(A2, "@(.*)")

Just want to get the job title from a full sentence? That's even harder.

Now you just need to ask questions like this:

=AI("Extract the last name", A2) =AI("What's the job title in this sentence?", B2)

It works well for checking bios, addresses, links, basically anything. It's not always perfect, but it's close.

You can try using prompts like this when analyzing feedback:

=AI("Does this person have Python programming experience?", B2) =AI("What's the main complaint in this review?", C2)

This function is most useful when dealing with unstructured text data. Traditional spreadsheet functions struggle with natural language, but AI often handles it with ease.

2. You don't need to learn formulas if you can say what you want.

From a cell, you can now type in a specific prompt describing what you want to do, and the AI engine will handle the complexities behind the scenes. Imagine you want to categorize your expenses. Instead of building complex nested IF statements, you can simply write a simple command like this:

=AI("Categorize this expense as business or personal", A2).

Let's say you need to format text in a spreadsheet consistently:

=AI("Convert this to proper title case", B2)

The same goes for splitting names, combining columns, rewriting text, or translating to another language. The key change here is that you no longer have to remember how to do something. You just describe what you want to do.

This makes spreadsheets much more accessible, especially if you're more comfortable writing in English than formula syntax. In some ways, it makes Google Sheets feel like Gemini but with rows and columns.

1. Arrange the cells and understand the mood at the same time

When you have a lot of responses or open-ended answers, Google Sheets' AI function can help you sort through them and understand the tone behind them. You can even combine sentiment analysis and categorization in one step:

=AI("Categorize the complaint as Price, Delivery, or Quality. If sentiment is Positive, return None.", B2)

This way, you'll capture how people feel and exactly what they're talking about, without having to write conditional logic or linking formulas.

You can also create smart tags based on context, such as neighborhood, group, or product line. Use this function when sorting testimonials, survey responses, or reviews in the app store.

The AI() function isn't magic, but it's a real helper. It only fills in one cell at a time, and yes, it gets things a little wrong sometimes. But the trade-off is that you'll spend less time looking up formulas or cleaning up data, and more time actually working with the information in front of you.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 08 August 2025