How to use Google AI Studio with Microsoft Excel 365

Microsoft Excel is the de facto spreadsheet program for just about anyone who works with spreadsheets. It’s a powerful and versatile program that has no equal. As you might have noticed, recent advancements in AI are fundamentally altering our relationship with technology and the apps and services that we use. This has an impact on spreadsheet programs like Excel as well.

Now Microsoft has already integrated CoPilot within Excel. CoPilot is the name for the ChatGPT powered AI services that Microsoft offers. This service itself is quite powerful and does a good job of enhancing Excel’s already impressive feature-set. Did you know however, that you’re not limited to CoPilot when using Excel? Thanks to API (Application-Program Interface) support, several other services, including Google’s AI Studio, can be integrated into Excel on your laptops and desktops as well.

What is Google AI Studio?

Google AI Studio is a tool that can be used to prototype various generative AI models. It’s an IDE or integrated development environment designed specifically for AI. It’s also a browser-based tool so no additional apps are required to use it.

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As an IDE, Google makes API keys available to developers, which can in turn be integrated into supporting apps and services like Excel. With the right know-how, developers can leverage both the power of Google’s AI models and Microsoft’s inimical Excel program.

How to use Google AI Studio with Microsoft Excel

The easiest way to integrate Google AI Studio and Excel is by using online tools like n8n.io and zapper.com. These tools are primarily designed to create workflows that trigger certain actions when certain conditions are met.

Taking the examples of n8n, the process is straightforward. You simply head to the site, sign up and subscribe to a plan that suits your needs, and then follow the instructions that the service provides. This includes installing n8n locally via docker or as a hosted service, creating a workflow in the n8n interface where you connect Google AI Studio to Microsoft Excel 365, and then tweak that workflow to your liking.

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Things obviously get more complex as you move along, but this shouldn’t be a problem for a good developer. You also get the option to test your workflow once created. Sites like n8n and zapier also provide a set of pre-built workflows that you can use if they fit your business requirements.