Here are just a few ways that Excel will continue to be relevant in the age of AI:

Data Preparation

One of the biggest challenges of working with AI is preparing the data for analysis. AI requires clean, organized data in order to function properly, and this is where Excel comes in. Excel allows users to easily clean and organize large sets of data, making it an ideal tool for preparing data for AI analysis. Excel's filtering, sorting, and pivot table features, for example, are all designed to help users organize and analyze data quickly and efficiently.

Automation

Automating Excel processes via Visual Basic for Applications (VBA, a.k.a. "Macros") has always been a powerful way to create impressive efficiency gains and reduce errors, but the ability develop robust macros was held by only those who chose to dive down the VBA rabbit hole. AI tools such as Chat GPT are democratizing the development process by generating base code for VBA modules that users can build upon to create powerful automations without the need for programmer-level experience in navigating the Excel object library.

Integration

Finally, Excel will continue to be relevant in the age of AI because it can easily integrate with other tools and technologies. As AI becomes more prevalent in the business world, it will likely be integrated with other tools and technologies, such as robotic process automation (RPA). This may sound fancy and exciting, but we all know that someone is going to have to export and work with some of that AI-generated data, and Excel's ability to integrate and adapt to small business tech stacks makes it an ideal platform for working with AI and other emerging technologies.