If you love a good data visualization, the latest update to Google Sheets will be right up your alley. The company has begun rolling out updates to the Gemini sidebar, a feature it introduced last summer to give its artificial intelligence agent the ability to generate deeper insights into the data in your spreadsheets.
According to Google, when you click the new “Analyze for Insights” shortcut in your spreadsheets, Gemini will offer you information about “contextual trends, patterns, and correlations between different variables in your data. The agent will also create charts based on your data that you can insert into your document as static images. Depending on the complexity of the query, Gemini uses Python code to execute the query.
There are a few notable limitations to the current implementation of this feature. For example, Google notes that once you insert a chart, it cannot be changed. In addition, any charts created by Gemini will not be directly linked to your data, so they will not automatically update after changes are made.
Separately, Google recommends that users be as specific as possible when asking Gemini to provide data for analysis. “For the most accurate results, make sure your data has a consistent format, clear headings, and no missing values,” the company adds.
You can use the updated Gemini sidebar in spreadsheets if you pay for Google One AI Premium or if your company is a Business or Enterprise Workspace customer with a Standard or Plus plan. Anyone with a Gemini Education, Gemini Education Premium, Gemini Business, or Gemini Enterprise add-on will also have access. Google plans to complete the rollout of this feature by February 20, so you may not see it in your version of Sheets right away.
