- Gemini in Google Sheets can now explain complex formulas in plain English
- The assistant offers step-for-step-break-up of the formulas to help users learn how they work
- AI assistant can also diagnose and solve broken formulas automatically
If you’ve ever stared blankly at a Google Sheet formula that spits #REF! Or #Value!, Yes, now you can ask Gemini for help. Google has upgraded its AI assistant to sheets to solve and explain all these formulas, even the broken ones.
Gemini can now not only generate spreadsheet formulas, but explain why they work, or undoubtedly more importantly why they sometimes do not. AI will explain it in a single language when there is an error and how to solve it. It can even correct all the wrong elements of an equation automatically or give more options if you ask it to create a formula for a task. No more copying fault codes in search beams or rolling through forum threads.
Say you are trying to calculate the number of people who rsvp’d “yes” on a list filtered by zip code and your formula goes down. Gemini may explain that the column it refers to is formatted as text instead of dates or that an interval does not match your filters. Then it could offer a corrected formula that works. And if there is more than one way to calculate your answer, it can show you more formula settings.
This kind of support is also not just for beginners. Even experienced spreadsheet users can occasionally erroneously a cell area or forget that a column is full of inconsistent data types. Gemini’s new ability to diagnose errors and explain them offer a safety net that allows you to move faster without fear of hidden bugs or worse, quietly wrong calculations that go unnoticed. The explanations are detailed enough to teach, not just patch.
Smart sheets
Google had already begun to integrate its AI tools into sheets, but it was limited to automation and card creation. Now Gemini has more of a fixer and teacher role. Google says it’s part of an ongoing effort to make complex workflows more accessible and to put AI where people are already working.
It also raises efforts in productivity AI weapons. It mainly means that Pattinging sheets and Gemini against Microsoft’s copilot in Excel, but there are also smaller rivals around. But Gemini’s offer of correction of formula formula and multimetation explanations sets up Google with a particular niche that transforms sheets into a kind of dynamic learning environment rather than just a empty canvas for numbers.
This focus on education is what can make this stick. Gemini’s ability to explain its formulas as it generates them gives users a chance to understand what they are actually doing, instead of just trusting the black box with AI.
Of course, it’s not really magic, and Gemini can still fight with poorly labeled sheets or confusing requests. But being able to use words instead of math or code to describe what you want the sheet to do is potentially a huge time saving. You can just say, “I will count orders over $ 50 that happened last month,” and let Gemini find out the filter logic and the time -based math.
The update is already live for Google Workspace users with Gemini on the business standard and plus, Enterprise tiers as well as for those who subscribe to Google’s AI Pro or Ultra plans. You can check by seeing if you’ve got the “Ask Gemini” kick icon in the upper right corner of your sheet.
