Figuring out how to write the right Excel formula to achieve the result you need can be a challenge, especially when you have a lot of data on a spreadsheet and need an intricate formula beyond calculating a sum. That is until ChatGPT arrived.
Also: I used ChatGPT to write the same routine in 12 top programming languages. Here's how it did
ChatGPT and other AI chatbots can easily help you create formulas for your Excel spreadsheet for free and without signing up for a specialized website, like ExcelFormulaBot. The great thing about using artificial intelligence like that in ChatGPT or Bing Chat to create formulas for Microsoft Excel (and Google Sheets) is that you can request formulas that are as simple or as complicated as you'd like — as long as you're crystal clear in your instructions.
How to use ChatGPT to write your Excel formulas
What you need: Using ChatGPT to write an Excel formula requires having access to Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, as you can use formulas for both applications. You will also need an OpenAI account to access ChatGPT.
Keep in mind that, as intelligent as AI chatbots are, they're still not as well-versed in nuances as a person and can make errors or misinterpret prompts.
I didn't specify which row in column F we want to start the formula with, so ChatGPT defaulted to F2.
You can see the formula from ChatGPT highlighted on the left, with the result in the cell on the right.
Once you add the formulas to the rest of the column, the spreadsheet will be complete.
FAQs
Is there a way to use AI for formulas within Excel?
Ideally, you'd be able to easily generate formulas within Microsoft Excel as easily as you can with ChatGPT, by having an AI tool already built into the program. At this time, that's not the case, but Microsoft is rolling out Copilot, a set of AI tools for the Microsoft 365 suite of programs. Though Microsoft Copilot isn't widely available yet, one can hope the new features include a GPT-4-integrated Microsoft Excel.
Why is the formula from ChatGPT not working?
If ChatGPT gave you a formula that isn't working in Excel or Sheets, then it might've misunderstood your prompt. Go through the formula to see where the error could be on ChatGPT's end and see how you can reword your prompt to get the correct answer. In the example below, my prompt was "Create a formula for the total cost that adds the values in columns F, G, and H".
Since I didn't specify I needed the formula to add the values in cells F3, G3, and H3, the formula adds the values in the entire column range, which is not what we need.
I then corrected my prompt to request ChatGPT to "Create a formula for the total cost that adds the values in cells F3, G3, and H3".
Can ChatGPT write intricate Excel formulas?
ChatGPT is the perfect resource to write formulas for Excel or Google Sheets, whether they're simple or intricate. We used simple formulas for this example to walk you through the process, but you can ask the AI chatbot to write more complicated formulas and test its limits. Remember that the accuracy of ChatGPT's results depends a lot on how clear your prompts are.
Can you use Bing Chat to write Excel formulas?
Other AI chatbots, like Bing Chat and Google Bard, are also able to create Excel formulas for you by following the steps above.
How Bing Chat and Google Bard answered the same prompt I gave ChatGPT to write a formula that calculates sales tax.
