AI in Excel works 3 ways: Microsoft Copilot (built into Microsoft 365) generates formulas and analyzes data inside Excel itself, ChatGPT and Claude answer 'write me a formula that does X' questions in seconds, and Python/VBA scripts generated by AI automate multi-step workflows. The practical difference: Copilot works if your organization pays for Microsoft 365 Copilot ($30/seat/month), while ChatGPT works for anyone with a free account. A benchmark: experienced Excel users who add AI assistance report cutting complex formula time by 70% and data cleaning time by 80%. The most useful AI capability isn't generating formulas - it's explaining what a formula does, so you understand what's in your spreadsheet. aidowith.me covers practical AI-in-Excel workflows in the Tables, Plans & Checklists route - 10 steps, roughly 45 minutes - producing a working AI-assisted spreadsheet.
Last updated: April 2026
The Problem and the Fix
Without a route
- The gap between 'I want to find all rows where column A is over 1000 and column B is empty' and the correct FILTER/XLOOKUP syntax stops most people cold. AI bridges this gap in 10 seconds.
- Someone else built the file. Now you need to modify it. Paste any formula into ChatGPT and ask 'explain what this does line by line' - you get a plain-English breakdown in seconds.
- Reformatting date columns, removing duplicate rows, standardizing capitalization - AI in Excel automates all of these with a single formula or Copilot instruction, cutting 3 hours to under 5 minutes.
With aidowith.me
- Describe what you want: 'sum all rows in column C where column B says Approved'. ChatGPT or Copilot writes the exact SUMIF formula, with explanation, in under 5 seconds.
- Paste an intimidating formula - nested IF, XLOOKUP with IFERROR, dynamic array functions - and ask 'explain this step by step in plain English'. You'll understand it in 60 seconds.
- Describe your weekly cleanup process in plain English. AI generates a VBA macro or Python script that runs the same 15-step process in 1 click, every time.
Who Builds This With AI
Marketers
Content, campaigns, and briefs done in hours instead of days.
Sales & BizDev
Prep calls, draft outreach, research prospects in minutes.
Managers & Leads
Reports, presentations, and team comms handled faster.
How It Works
Start with your hardest current formula problem
Don't test AI on easy problems. Pick the formula you've been stuck on for a week and describe it in one sentence. This immediately shows you where AI adds the most value in your workflow.
Build a formula library for your most common tasks
Over 2-3 weeks, collect the 10 formulas AI helps you write most often. Document them with plain-English descriptions. This becomes your personal Excel AI reference that speeds up future work.
Automate your first recurring data task
Identify one data cleanup or report task you do every week. Ask AI to generate a macro or step-by-step formula set that automates it. Test, verify, and run it as your new default process.
Build Your AI-Powered Excel Workflow in 45 Minutes
The Tables, Plans & Checklists route on aidowith.me covers 10 steps in about 45 minutes. You finish with a working AI-assisted spreadsheet and a repeatable workflow.
Start This Route →What You Walk Away With
Start with your hardest current formula problem
Build a formula library for your most common tasks
Automate your first recurring data task
Describe your weekly cleanup process in plain English. AI generates a VBA macro or Python script that runs the same 15-step process in 1 click, every time.
"I spent 2 hours every Monday building the same report. AI in Excel cut it to 8 minutes. I literally described what I wanted and it wrote the formulas."- Financial Analyst, manufacturing company
Questions
ChatGPT (free tier) and Claude (free tier) both handle Excel formula generation and explanation extremely well without any Excel integration. The workflow: describe your problem in the chat, get the formula, paste it into Excel. For data cleanup, paste 5-10 sample rows into the chat and ask AI to write a formula that handles the pattern. This works for 90% of typical Excel AI use cases at zero cost. Copilot adds value for users who work with large datasets and want AI suggestions appearing directly inside Excel cells.
For formula writing, largely yes - AI generates accurate formulas for most common tasks. For understanding your spreadsheet, AI is a complement, not a replacement - you still need to verify outputs and understand what the formula does before trusting it in a production file. The practical skill shift: instead of memorizing syntax, you need to know how to describe what you want precisely. 'Sum where approved' is underspecified. 'Sum values in column C where column B contains the exact text Approved' produces the right formula every time.
3 approaches: (1) For pattern-based cleanup (dates, capitalization, phone number formats), ask AI to write a formula that converts a sample input into your desired output - it generalizes to the full column. (2) For finding and removing duplicates, ask AI to write a formula that flags rows where the key field already appeared above. (3) For complex multi-step cleanup, describe the full process in plain English and ask AI to generate a VBA macro. Paste the sample data as text in the chat so AI can see the actual format you're working with.