Latest news with #MicrosoftExcel
CNET
a day ago
- Business
- CNET
How to Use AI in Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets
I'm not the most Excel-savvy person. So I had a real need to find an easier way to navigate spreadsheet software and I was hopeful artificial intelligence could lighten the workload. Reducing mundane busywork is what AI is supposed to be best at, right? My search led me to GPT Excel (after three failed attempts to integrate ChatGPT for Microsoft Excel, including clearing my cache and cookies), an AI chatbot and virtual assistant with more than 500,000 users, built specifically for Excel and Google Sheets. With free and paid ($7 a month) versions available, GPT Excel's features include AI Chat, Generate and Understand Formulas, Task Automation Generator, SQL, Data Validation and Filtering and the ability to generate table templates. While this isn't a sophisticated tool, what it lacks in flashy add-ons, it makes up for in simple and succinct tools -- which for something as robust as data (and its algorithms) makes sense. Because I was intent on summarizing and understanding the data from the Excel sheet, I focused on the Formulas page of the platform where your data can be input, then generated or explained. How to use AI to summarize spreadsheet data This was my approach when attempting to use AI to summarize the data from my spreadsheet: Create an account using your email or Google account. This will activate the free version of the platform. Once you're on your account's homepage, navigate to and click on Formulas. Select Microsoft Excel from the drop-down menu, then toggle over to the Explained tab on the top of the page. This will cause the copy-and-paste box's text below to change. This will generate your result in the text box below. You can choose to reset the copy and input new data or copy and paste this data back into the Excel sheet. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and be sure to check out the Best Practices tab for 12 do's and don'ts to help ensure the best outcome during the data input process. Screenshot by CNET Who should use GPT Excel? Artificial intelligence is a hot topic right now. Its rapid growth speaks to its popularity and success but consequently, it also speaks to the reality of over-saturation. I can't dismiss the feeling that while AI-generated organizational tools were made to reduce repetitive tasks and problem-solving time, you may spend just as much time navigating between the incredibly niche aspects of each product to find the best one for you. While articles -- like the one you're reading -- are here to help answer upfront questions, word of mouth doesn't trump experience. Tools, whether literal or digital, will always be up to individual preference and opinion. My personal thoughts on GPT Excel come down to three things: Familiarity Microsoft Excel launched in 1982 (under the name Multiplan) as a basic, though reliable, spreadsheet software program -- that's steadily evolved to meet its consumers' needs. So when I found myself sifting through various Excel-focused AI tools more than 40 years later, I naturally gravitated toward the tool with the word "Excel" in it. My artificial intelligence preference is the one with fewer gimmicks and a simpler, streamlined approach. Simplicity GPT Excel has six tool functions laid out on its landing page, including an AI Chat button to assist with any spreadsheet question. I turned to the Formulas tab for generating and understanding data. The typography and user design were laid out simply. Learning design integrations adds to the time spent using the tool -- which again, defeats the purpose of the tool itself. Cost GPT Excel's only difference between the free and paid plans is priority access to customer service and the AI chatbot. I read this as the ability to be in dialogue with someone/thing. Because I accessed the tool solely to summarize my data, I was comfortable with this trade-off. The GPT Excel's free version provides enough without the need to add another subscription service to your list. GPT Excel's AI functions Screenshot by CNET More AI tools to summarize spreadsheets While my initial attempt at ChatGPT for Excel failed, I found so many alternatives in the process -- some that are incredibly intentional and articulate about the problem they aim to solve. Numerous artificial intelligence-powered apps can summarize your data, and below are some of the others I found. While I eventually turned to ChatGPT to have my Excel data summarized, these tools claim to provide the same services for their target audience, which in some cases is the same as ChatGPT. Wherever you end up on your summarizing data journey, I hope your spreadsheet hassles are a bit easier to handle. Knowt With student and teacher plans available, Knowt is education focused. It has the ability to turn your Excel sheet data into notes and flashcards and will also test you on the information you input -- all in less than 30 seconds. Knowt has a free seven-day trial and monthly plans range from $2 to $13 a month. Ajelix BI Ajelix BI positions itself as an all-in-one platform with 15 productivity tools -- 10 of those being Excel AI tools. Its target audience is for "busy people," which includes small business owners, non-technical teams and Mac and Windows users. The platform claims to reduce problem-solving time by 50% to reveal smarter insights about data, faster. Ajelix BI has a limited access free plan, up to an unlimited $200 per month Business Plus plan. Julius AI Julius AI is an AI tool made for dense populations of data. It can turn your data into visualizations, provide answers about your data, perform forecasting, problem solve across math, physics and chemistry and, of course, create analyses and summaries. Julius AI comes in free and upgraded plan versions. Rows The Rows app presents itself as your "personal data analyst," with a focus on analyzing, summarizing and transforming data. Its website states that Row contains the power of ChatGPT without scripts, add-ons or code. It also says it has the ability to provide insights, classify and tag text, translate text to any language and execute the beginning stages of marketing campaigns. Rows' pricing plans range from free to $30 per month, billed monthly or annually.
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Fudging facts at Harvard: Professor Francesca Gino loses tenure over data fabrication
While Harvard is making headlines for its battle with 'Trump University' to effectively emerge as America's de facto opposition party, the Ivy League college has made news for another reason. It recently stripped behavioural scientist and till recently Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino of her tenure. The charge: fabricating research data. The irony of ironies being that her research topic was 'Honesty and ethical behaviour'.It all began with the blog, 'Data Colada', an academic research watchdog since 2013 that carefully reanalyses published data to identify irregularities or potential fraud. Data Colada released claims in 2021 of extensive evidence of alleged fraud in four scholarly articles that Gino had co-authored. The blog had expressed their worries to HBS four years ago, adding that none of Gino's co-authors were involved in fraud. After concluding that the 47-year-old academic had committed 'research misconduct intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly', Harvard initiated an internal inquiry, placing her on unpaid administrative leave in 2023. While examining version control in Microsoft Excel, it appeared that different rows inside a spreadsheet had been altered. According to experts, data before the suspected manipulation didn't reveal the effect the researchers wanted to observe. But data after the purported modification did seem to indicate participants were asked to complete insurance and tax forms in a study. It was discovered that people who were asked to sign declarations of truthfulness at the top of the page were more truthful than people who were asked to sign statements at the however, sued the university and her accusers for $25 mn, alleging defamation, gender discrimination and invasion of privacy. She claimed the accusations damaged her reputation. But last September, a federal judge in Boston rejected her defamation lawsuit, stating that, as a public figure, she was subject to scrutiny protected by the First Amendment. Since the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) established regulations regarding firings in the 1940s, Gino has now become the first Harvard professor to lose tenure. This is hardly the first instance of academic misconduct involving data. A scandal involving Harvard Medical School's John Darsee shook the academic world in the 1980s. Darsee had published a significant number of papers in prestigious journals. However, by May 1981, his colleagues accused him of systematic and frequent fabrication. Investigators claimed that Darsee had presented data from experiments that were never conducted, and had 'expanded' other data to produce more significant results. Eventually, he had more than 80 papers removed from the literature. He was relieved of his posts at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Academic data manipulation is likely to be rampant today. An average of 2% of scientists admitted at least one instance of fabricating, falsifying or altering data, according to a 2009 paper published in PLoS One, 'How Many Scientists Fabricate and Falsify Research? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Survey Data'. Gino's - and Harvard's action against her - is a landmark case that could well serve as a model for how other academic institutions respond to allegations of academic dishonesty. On the flip side, excessively stringent enforcement could stifle creativity and run the risk of drawing unfavourable attention to organisations, thereby disincentivising them from taking action against unethical faculty is Gino's case, in particular, receiving so much public attention? She was one of Harvard's highest-paid professors, earning over $1 mn in 2018 and 2019. So, is it because the scam involves a star academic? Or is it due to the nature of the accusation - data manipulation? Does it have to do with data sanctity, integrity, dependability and trustworthiness? Does society care so much about data integrity? Apparently data evidence is nothing new to people in other professions. However, very few of them have jobs taken away from them for falsifying. The academic community has certainly become stricter about research misconduct involving data, and Gino was undoubtedly punished because academicians are subject to more stringent codes of conduct and constant scrutiny from peers than in other professions. In a sense, a watchdog got bit by watchdogs. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. The answer to companies not incurring capex may lie in stock markets Banks are investing in these funds instead of lending the money. Why? He termed IndiGo a 'paan ki dukaan'. Still made INR30k crore by selling its shares How Sikka turned Infosys misfortune into AI springboard Stock Radar: PNB stock breaks out from downward sloping channel; time to buy the PSU bank? Buy, Sell or Hold: Nuvama maintains a hold rating on Vodafone Idea & Reduce rating on Bata India post Q4 results Ignore volatility and look for long-term opportunities: 5 mid-cap stocks from different sectors with upside potential of over 23% Transformation is painful but good in the long term: 7 auto stocks with an upside potential of up to 35%
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
JOB ALERT: Goodwill Industries of East Texas in Longview is searching for a Retail Lead
Goodwill Industries of East Texas Longview Retail Lead Pay: $11.50 – $13.80 an hour Duties: Greets and assists all customers with exceptional customer service. Insures that all employees are trained for the jobs they will be performing, trained for the equipment they will be using, and understand potential safety hazards. Inspect personal protective equipment (PPE) and correct or report any issues or concerns to supervisor. Constantly monitor work areas, conducts periodic safety inspections and store evaluations of all areas; Take immediate corrective action when work areas and / or practices are deemed to be unsafe or deficiencies are found. Assist in achieving or exceeding budged sales goal. Other duties as assigned. Qualifications: High School Diploma or GED. Experience in Microsoft Excel. Bilingual Skills a plus. Apply Here Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ETQ Adds Farsound to Its Growing Roster of Aerospace and Defense Industry Customers
BURLINGTON, Mass. and WEST HORNDON, England, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ETQ, part of Hexagon, today announced that Farsound, a leading supplier of aerospace parts, has joined its client roster, joining other manufacturers and distributors that are ensuring product quality and reducing risk with the ETQ Reliance® quality management system (QMS). ETQ Reliance will serve as the foundational system for Farsound's worldwide quality management program. Prior to automating its quality management process, Farsound employed a variety of manual methods and simple software tools like Microsoft Excel and Word to keep track of its business records. Realizing those methods were insufficient, the company initially worked on building its own quality management system in conjunction with outside contractors. However, that process was time consuming, expensive and didn't yield the expected results. So, Farsound made the decision to pursue a solution from a dedicated QMS partner and ultimately chose ETQ Reliance. Farsound expects the QMS to streamline its quality processes, eliminate data silos and make quality management faster and more efficient for the company and its employees, all of whom have access to the system. "Delivered quality in the aerospace industry is paramount, and at Farsound we've embedded quality within our corporate culture," said, Lee Kelsey, Chief Operating Officer, Farsound. "With ETQ Reliance, we are building a connected and data-driven quality management environment that helps us bring that culture to life and deliver optimal quality products to our customers every time." "The aerospace and defense industries have their own stringent set of quality standards," said David Isaacson, Vice President, Product Marketing, ETQ. "ETQ is proud to help customers like Farsound automate the quality journey and place quality at the center of the business model. Leveraging our automated QMS and the quality management it enables, Farsound has a crucial competitive advantage. We look forward to helping scale the company's quality and compliance capabilities as it grows and evolves in the future." Farsound is deploying ETQ Reliance in a phased implementation approach with the first phase focusing on document management and training management. Farsound will next deploy ETQ Reliance applications that automate nonconformance management and corrective and preventive actions (CAPA). ETQ Reliance is deployed across the company's locations in the U.K., U.S., Spain and Canada. About Farsound Supporting customers globally, Farsound is a leading supply chain and logistics solutions provider, distributor and stockist for the global aerospace industry, delivering fast-moving consumable parts from hundreds of suppliers directly to the production lines of many of the world's leading aero engine MROs. In response to the specific needs of individual customers, Farsound provides bespoke solutions that include: Procurement consolidation Consignment Kitting solutions Direct Line Feed (DLF) Contract scheduling and long-term agreements (LTA) Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) Farsound has its head office in the UK and operates from key locations across the globe, including USA, Canada, Spain, Singapore and Japan. About ETQ ETQ, part of Hexagon, is a leading provider of integrated quality management, health, safety, and environmental solutions for manufacturers. Firms around the world rely on ETQ to ensure optimal quality at scale, reduce costs and improve the velocity of data-driven decisions. Learn more at Hexagon is a global leader in digital reality solutions, combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies. Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) has approximately 24,000 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 5.2bn EUR. Learn more at and follow us @HexagonAB NOTE: Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Click here to download a copy of ETQ's recent industry report: "The Pulse of Quality in Manufacturing 2025." Media Contacts: Chris NahilETQcnahil@ Linda Pendergast-Savagelpendergastsavage@ Farsoundfarsoundaviation@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE ETQ, LLC Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vena Earns 100% Product Satisfaction Rating and 55 Leading Rankings in BARC Planning Survey 25
Recognized with 18 top ranks and 37 leading positions across four peer groups, highlighting industry leadership in customer satisfaction, price to value, project success and product satisfaction TORONTO, June 03, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vena, the only Complete FP&A platform powered by agentic AI and purpose-built to fully amplify the Microsoft technology ecosystem, today shared it has been named a top-ranked or leading product in 55 categories across four peer groups in The Planning Survey 25 conducted by the Business Application Research Center (BARC). With 18 top ranks and 37 leading positions, Vena continues to stand out as a customer-centric, technologically advanced leader in the FP&A software space. Survey participants reported exceptional results with Vena: 100% are satisfied with Vena.* 94% are satisfied with Vena's performance.* 97% achieved a better quality of planning results with Vena. 97% increased the transparency and traceability of planning with Vena. 97% achieved more precise/detailed planning with Vena. "Vena's top-tier rankings in key performance indicators such as project success, price to value and customer satisfaction underscore its commitment to excellence and customer-centric innovation," said Dr. Christian Fuchs, Senior Analyst for Data & Analytics at BARC. "The strong customer feedback in our survey reinforces Vena's ability to deliver rapid, effective implementations while maintaining very high satisfaction levels." A number of surveyed customers cited Vena's deep synergy with the Microsoft technology ecosystem, particularly its integration with Microsoft Excel, as a major strength. The "seamless" Excel integration played a key role in Vena's top ranking in the ease-of-use category, outperforming the peer group average by almost two full points. In addition, Vena's recent launch of workflows embedded directly within Microsoft Teams continues to enhance productivity and collaboration, enabling finance professionals to plan, report and share insights where they already work. Vena also ranked as the top provider for user experience in the Integrated Products for Planning and BI & Analytics peer group, which combines scores for self-service, flexibility, ease of use and performance satisfaction, underscoring the platform's overall usability and strength. "These recognitions highlight our commitment to delivering innovative, high-impact solutions that empower our customers with the flexibility, insights and support they need to plan with confidence. We're especially proud of our rankings across price to value, customer satisfaction, project success, sales experience and implementer support—all on par or even ahead of the biggest players in this space," said Hugh Cumming, Chief Technology Officer at Vena. "From launching the first FP&A-specific AI agents to expanding our footprint through Microsoft Azure Marketplace availability, we're dedicated to delivering solutions that meet FP&A professionals where they are." The Planning Survey 25's validation of Vena's leading FP&A technology adds to a number of recent accolades, including: Recognition in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Financial Close and Consolidation Solutions A leading position on the 2025 Nucleus Research CPM Value Matrix Being named a Provider of Assurance in four ISG Buyers Guides Winning the inaugural Dresner Applications Innovation Award for Workforce Planning and Analysis A G2 2025 Best Software Award A 2025 BIG Innovation Award for Software The Planning Survey 25 is based on the world's largest survey of planning software users conducted from November 2024 to February 2025, with 1,187 respondents and analysis of 19 products. It evaluates user feedback on 33 criteria (KPIs), such as Business Benefits, Project Success, Customer Satisfaction and more. Click here to view The Planning Survey 25. About Vena: Vena is the only agentic AI-powered FP&A platform purpose-built to harness the full power of the Microsoft technology ecosystem for finance teams everywhere. Vena amplifies Microsoft's world-leading productivity tools, cloud technology and AI innovation to make FP&A, operational planning and adjacent strategic processes more flexible, efficient and intelligent. Thousands of the world's leading companies rely on Vena to power their planning. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Jonathan PaulVice President, Content Marketingjpaul@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
