Google Sheets gets AI-powered upgrade for faster data analysis
What's the story
Google has launched a major upgrade for its Sheets platform, powered by the Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) system. The update is aimed at speeding up data analysis and making it easier to convert spreadsheets into charts using AI. The new feature, which was announced last month, is now available for all Workspace business users, Google confirmed.
Information
Gemini's capabilities and advanced visualizations
With Gemini-powered upgrade, you can tap into its capabilities for generating insights from your data. This includes identifying correlations, trends, outliers, and more. Plus, it allows you to create advanced visualizations like heatmaps that can be inserted as static images over cells in spreadsheets.
User guide
How to use the new feature in Google Sheets
To use this feature, click on Gemini icon on the top-right of the spreadsheet. From there, request things like "predict my net income for the next quarter based on historical data" or "create a simple heatmap of support cases by category and device." Other examples include a marketing manager asking Gemini to "Provide some insights on my top three performing channels by conversion rate" or a financial analyst asking Gemini to "Identify any anomalies in inventory levels for Product X."
Technical aspects
Gemini's functioning and data requirements
Gemini works by generating and executing Python code and then analyzing the results to conduct multi-layered analysis. For simpler queries, Gemini may still answer using formulas rather than Python code. Google stresses that for accurate results, data should be in a consistent format with clear headers and no missing values.