6 min read
Google Sheets now has a formula that thinks. Type =AI() into a cell, write an instruction in plain English, point it at a few cells, and Gemini fills in the answer: a summary, a category, a sentiment label, a draft email, even a fact pulled from Google Search. For a solo owner who lives in spreadsheets, it is the most practical AI feature Google has shipped in a while, and also the easiest one to misuse.
This spotlight covers what the AI function does, who it is for, five real jobs it handles well, where it breaks, and what it costs.
What the AI function actually is
According to Google’s own help page, the syntax is simple: =AI(“prompt”, [optional range]). You can also type =Gemini(), which does the same thing. The prompt is your instruction. The range is the cells you want it to read.
Google lists five things it is built for:
- Generating text tailored to the row, such as a reply or a slogan.
- Summarizing long notes or feedback into one line.
- Categorizing entries into groups you define.
- Sentiment analysis, meaning labeling text as positive, negative, or neutral.
- Pulling real-time information from Google Search, with a Sources link you can check.
One detail that surprises people: the formula does not run on its own. You select the cells and click Generate and Insert. The result is written into the cell, and the edit is credited to you in version history. That is a good design choice. Nothing changes behind your back.
If your data sits in a table, there is also an Insert AI column option that sets up the formula in the first row so you can fill the rest of the column in one go.
Who should care
The AI function is aimed squarely at people who already keep their business in Sheets: client lists, order logs, survey results, review exports, lead trackers. If that is you, it removes a whole category of copy-paste work between your spreadsheet and a chatbot.
If your records live in an accounting app or a CRM (customer relationship manager, the software that tracks your clients and deals), you will get less out of it unless you export to Sheets first. And if you have never used a formula in your life, start with a ten-row test sheet before pointing it at anything important.
Five jobs it does well for a one-person business
1. Sort a messy inbox export
Paste customer emails into column C and use Google’s own example pattern: =AI(“Categorize the customer inquiry as a compliment, exchange request, or return request.”, C2). Swap in your own categories, such as “quote request, complaint, scheduling, spam”. Now you can filter by type and answer the money emails first.
2. Read reviews at a glance
Export your Google or Etsy reviews into a sheet and add a sentiment column. Then add a second column: =AI(“In under 12 words, what specifically did this customer like or dislike?”, B2). Fifty reviews become a scannable list of what to keep doing and what to fix.
3. Draft personal follow-ups in bulk
Google’s examples include one written for a pet sitting business that summarizes a pet’s last stay for its owner. The same idea works for any service. With the client’s name, service, and notes in columns A to C, try =AI(“Write a two-sentence thank-you text for this client mentioning the service and one detail from the notes.”, A2:C2). You still send each one yourself, but you start from a draft instead of a blank screen.
4. Clean up a lead list
Leads arrive with job titles like “owner/ceo/founder lol” and “Mktg Mgr”. A column with =AI(“Rewrite this job title in standard title case, under four words.”, D2) tidies them up so your mail merge does not look sloppy.
5. Fill in public facts, carefully
Because the function can reach Google Search, it can look up things like a supplier’s city or a venue’s capacity. Always open the Sources link before you trust a web-sourced answer. We explain why in our beginner’s guide to AI hallucinations, meaning answers the AI states confidently but made up.
The limits Google spells out
Google’s help page is unusually frank about what the function cannot do, and these are the ones that matter most for a small business:
- It only sees what you give it. It cannot read your whole spreadsheet or other files in Drive. If you skip the range, it works from the prompt alone.
- Only the first 350 selected AI cells generate at a time. Bigger lists need to be done in batches.
- There are daily limits. Hit the long-term cap and you wait about 24 hours.
- No undo. You can regenerate, but you cannot step back to the old answer, so copy anything you want to keep.
- It cannot sit inside other formulas. Something like an IF wrapped around an AI call is not supported.
- Changed data does not always refresh. If a prompt pulls from cells that later change, you may need to click Refresh and Insert yourself.
The practical takeaway: treat AI columns as a first pass, not a final answer. Spot-check ten rows before acting on a thousand.
What it costs
The function requires an eligible Google Workspace plan with Gemini, or a Google AI plan. Google also offers it to some accounts through its Google Workspace Experiments trusted tester program. Plans and included AI limits change often, so check your own admin console or Google One page rather than trusting any number in a blog post, including ours. If you are already paying for Workspace for your business email, there is a good chance you have it today at no extra cost.
If you are trying to work out whether AI features are worth upgrading for, our guide to AI credits and usage limits walks through how to budget for them.
How it compares to the alternatives
You could do all five jobs above by copying rows into ChatGPT or Claude. The difference is friction. The AI function keeps the answer next to the data, in the same row, ready to sort and filter. For a one-off question, a chatbot is fine. For anything you do every week across dozens of rows, a column wins.
For jobs that run automatically, such as tagging every new form submission the moment it arrives, a spreadsheet formula is the wrong tool. That is the territory of automation platforms, covered in our Zapier vs Make vs n8n comparison.
The verdict
If your business runs on Google Sheets and you already pay for Workspace, turn this on today. Start with review sentiment or inbox sorting, because both are low risk and pay off in minutes. Keep a human eye on anything that goes to a customer, and never let a web-sourced cell into a quote or invoice without opening its source.
What would you put in your first AI column? Share your prompt in the comments.
