How can I use AI inside Excel and Google Sheets for business in 2026?

For ad-hoc analysis, the fastest path is uploading a spreadsheet to ChatGPT or Claude and asking questions in plain English, both can run calculations and return charts and insights without you writing formulas. Inside the sheet itself, Gemini for Google Workspace and Microsoft Copilot in Excel can write formulas, explain existing ones, and summarize tables from a prompt, which removes the biggest barrier for non-analysts.

For repeatable, in-cell AI, add-ons matter. GPT for Sheets and Numerous.ai let you call functions like a custom formula across thousands of rows, categorizing transactions, extracting entities from messy text, drafting personalized copy, or scoring leads. Use them for bulk operations a human would do row by row. Watch API costs and rate limits on large sheets, and cache results (paste as values) once generated so you don't re-run on every recalculation.

Build practical workflows rather than novelty formulas: a financial dashboard where AI flags month-over-month anomalies and writes the commentary; an expense categorizer; a lead list enricher. Validate AI outputs, models can miscalculate or hallucinate, so spot-check totals and never trust AI-generated numbers for filings without verification. Audit your most time-consuming recurring workbook first and replace the manual steps with AI formulas to reclaim hours each week.