# AI for Excel

Canonical URL: <https://www.creativelive.com/classes/ai-excel>

## Overview

This course teaches experienced Excel users how to use artificial intelligence to reduce the time spent on repetitive spreadsheet tasks. Participants learn how to work with AI tools, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot, to support formula creation, data cleaning, analysis, and automation.

Through hands-on demonstrations and practical exercises, you will learn how to prompt AI to generate complex formulas, clean and restructure messy datasets, create VBA macros more efficiently, and transform raw data into actionable insights. Designed for professionals who use Excel regularly, this course shows how AI can be integrated into everyday workflows to improve speed, accuracy, and productivity.

## What you'll learn

- Write precise AI prompts to generate reliable Excel formulas, including advanced nested functions that would otherwise require extensive trial and error.
- Use AI to streamline data cleaning tasks such as standardizing formats, splitting or combining text, removing duplicates, and correcting inconsistencies.
- Rely on AI assistants to interpret existing formulas, diagnose errors, and recommend improvements for inefficient or slow spreadsheets.
- Apply AI to speed up data analysis by uncovering insights, creating visualizations, and generating VBA macros for repetitive tasks.

## Prerequisites

Attendees must have beginner Excel skills equivalent to our [Excel Fundamentals course](/classes/basic-excel-classes), including basic functions and formulas, printing, formatting, basic charts, and tables.

## Curriculum

#### Module 1: AI Fundamentals for Excel Users

- Understand what AI can (and cannot) do for your Excel work
- Overview of AI tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and others
- How AI "thinks" about spreadsheets—and why that matters for getting good results
- Setting realistic expectations: AI as assistant, not replacement
- Security and data privacy considerations when using AI with sensitive data

#### Module 2: Mastering AI Prompts for Formula Generation

- The anatomy of an effective Excel prompt: context, examples, and constraints
- Generating simple to complex formulas on demand (VLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH, nested IFs, array formulas)
- Prompt techniques for dynamic formulas that adapt to your data
- Troubleshooting formulas with AI: explaining errors and suggesting fixes
- Hands-on practice: Building a prompt library for your most common formula needs

#### Module 3: Automating Data Cleaning with AI

- Identifying data cleaning tasks AI handles best
- Prompting AI to standardize inconsistent data (dates, names, addresses, phone numbers)
- Using AI to generate formulas for splitting and combining text
- Detecting and handling duplicates, outliers, and missing values
- Hands-on practice: Cleaning a messy real-world dataset using AI-generated solutions

#### Module 4: AI-Assisted Data Analysis and Insights

- Asking AI the right questions about your data
- Generating summary statistics and identifying trends with AI guidance
- Using AI to suggest appropriate chart types and visualization approaches
- Creating data narratives: Having AI help explain what the numbers mean
- Hands-on practice: Analyzing a dataset and generating insights with AI assistance

#### Module 5: VBA and Macro Generation with AI

- When automation makes sense: Identifying repetitive workflows to streamline
- Prompting AI to write VBA macros for common tasks (formatting, reporting, data manipulation)
- Understanding and modifying AI-generated code (even if you're not a programmer)
- Testing, debugging, and refining macros with AI support
- Hands-on practice: Creating a macro to automate a repetitive reporting task

#### Module 6: Building Your AI-Enhanced Excel Workflow

- Integrating AI into your daily Excel routine without disrupting productivity
- Creating a personal prompt library for recurring tasks
- When to use AI vs. when to do it yourself: A practical decision framework
- Keeping up with rapidly evolving AI capabilities
- Developing an action plan for continued AI skill-building

## Schedule
- Jun 23, 2026 10:00am–5:00pm — Live Online
- Jul 9, 2026 10:00am–5:00pm — Live Online

## Pricing

**Tuition:** $649