One day, we'll have a spreadsheet that will generate entire workbooks for you using AI. We're not quite there yet (we'll let you know when we see one), but our favorite spreadsheet to work AI into the experience is Equals.
Equals is not a 1-for-1 replacement for all spreadsheets. It's specifically for teams who have data in some data store like Snowflake, PostgreSQL or Redshift. If none of those names mean anything to you, you can safely click off the page now.
Command-K: Smartfill, replaces keyboard shortcuts
Smartfill is their AI-powered feature to generate any formula for you. You literally press command+K and type "smartfill" while hovering over a cell. Equals will read the workbook and generate a formula for you based on your workbook setup. Handy.
Command-K also puts basically the entire menu of traditional spreadsheet options (formatting, fills, etc.) behind a single shortcut. No need to memorize 10-key combinations to get what you want. Just hit command+K then type "white" or "fill".
These are the types of things Mac Excel users really benefit from. The shortcuts on Mac are just a bit bad, so it's probably easier to just get rid of them entirely. And Smartfill saves you the endless minutes of guessing at formula structure, correctly locking things, etc.
Command-J: AI Assist
Command-K's next-door neighbor houses Equals' AI Assist, which does a lot:
- Formula fill: Type in what you want in natural language and Equals will generate the formula
- Formula debug: Hover over a broken cell and ask Equals what broke
- Query suggest: Have Equals write SQL for you to pull data from your data store
- Query debug: Have Equals fix broken SQL
- Edit charts: Type in changes using natural language
- Summarize charts: AI can explain how a chart was put together
A new favorite spreadsheet for startup teams
If you fit Equals' target market, we think you'll have a good time trying it out for your next analysis. For the rest of us, we'll just have to wait for another spreadsheet that's experimenting with AI as much as Equals is.
