Paul Barnhurst (speaker) outlines new AI-driven Excel features and considers their implications for spreadsheet modelers. He explains the copilot function (a generative-AI-enabled function that can query and operate on grid data but is probabilistic) and copilot autocomplete (which predicts and completes formulas like XLOOKUP), noting both usefulness and potential annoyances or risks for modelers.
What are some of the new things in Excel? What do they mean for modelers? I want to run through a few of them. The first is the copilot function. What the copilot function is, is the copilot function allows you to type the word copilot and then in parentheses, tell it what you want it to find using generative AI and it will return an answer. You can even mix it with data you have in your grid and have it run against that so you could return the top 10 cities in the US or the top countries in the world, whatever it might be, or classify some data. Very function in that it's probabilistic and so you can get different answers every time. You have to be very careful where you use it. Something I wouldn't see much used in modeling, but unique. The next one, and I know it drives a lot of modelers crazy, is the copilot autocomplete. And so what that is is you start typing a function like you start typing an xlookup and it automatically assumes what you're wanting to look up and finishes the formula for you. And you can scroll through different options of what it thinks you want. Can be incredibly helpful in certain situations. Can also be quite annoying and.
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