Everyday AI Podcast Episode Summary
Podcast: Everyday AI Podcast – An AI and ChatGPT Podcast
Host: Jordan Wilson
Episode: Google Sheets and Gemini: 5 ways to use Gemini AI to save time and work smarter
Date: December 31, 2025
Overview of the Episode
Jordan Wilson delves into Gemini AI’s new capabilities within Google Sheets, highlighting five time-saving ways to use this overlooked feature in everyday spreadsheet work. Throughout the episode, Jordan emphasizes practical use, easy adoption—even for non-technical users—and real-world examples that demonstrate how Gemini can revolutionize spreadsheet tasks from data analysis to generating content at scale. The episode is energetic, hands-on, and geared toward making listeners more productive by putting cutting-edge AI to work in familiar tools.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Why Gemini in Google Sheets Matters
- Underrated Release: Despite major recent AI announcements, the new Gemini feature in Google Sheets is immensely powerful but under-discussed.
- Relevance: Most professionals spend significant time in spreadsheets; AI enhancements here can deliver tangible productivity gains.
- Personal Take: Jordan admits he initially dismissed Gemini in Workspace due to early poor performance, but now finds it “really freaking good” and transformative ([05:02]).
“If you can type, you know, three or four letters, you can start making, taking advantage of it right away.”
— Jordan Wilson ([07:03])
Core Functionality of Gemini in Sheets
- Natural Language Prompts: Interact via sidebar chat or cell functions using plain language (no need for code or advanced spreadsheet skills).
- Available to Paid Users: Requires a paid Google Workspace account; integration with Gmail and Drive provides contextual responses.
- Capabilities Include:
- Creating tables
- Analyzing data and presenting insights
- Generating formulas, charts, and graphs
- Summarizing and pulling together information across Workspace apps
“Being able to create little widgets, little dashboards with natural language is such, I think, an untapped level up for everyday non-technical people.”
— Jordan Wilson ([13:00])
Five Practical Time-Saving Tasks with Gemini AI
1. Discovering What's Possible ([21:00])
- Unlocking Hidden Value: AI isn’t limited to what you explicitly ask—it can show you new, valuable actions.
- Example: Using Gemini to suggest five AI commands that would save time or create value in a sheet of podcast reviews, such as summarizing sentiment or predicting ratings.
- Takeaway: Let AI surface insights and possibilities, not just automate your known needs.
“Discovering what's possible is actually a big unlock that people aren't thinking about... large language models are smarter than us all.”
— Jordan Wilson ([22:05])
2. Generating Instant Dashboards ([26:25])
- Dashboards on Demand: Ask Gemini to generate dashboards highlighting key findings from data (e.g., download stats).
- Automates Visualization: Gemini creates relevant charts, graphs, and summaries, saving time on manual setup and potentially identifying important trends you might miss.
- Iteration: You can ask Gemini follow-up questions to refine or expand dashboards (“find me five more interesting trends that you can graph and make them visual”).
“It instantly built me out a couple of really helpful bar charts... and I didn't even have to tell, you know, give me the top 10 episodes by last 90 days...”
— Jordan Wilson ([28:12])
3. Running Sentiment Analysis (with Gems) ([35:05])
- Text Analysis at Scale: Run advanced sentiment or theme extraction on large volumes of qualitative data directly in Sheets.
- Custom Gems: Use Google’s “Gems” (like GPTs for Gemini) or natural language in the new
=AI()formula to extract nuanced information such as major content themes from reviews. - Results: Instant classification of customer feedback into categories like “practical knowledge” or “career acceleration.”
“Think of how long it would take me to pull certain sentiment... now I can get in literally seconds with Gemini in sheets.”
— Jordan Wilson ([38:40])
4. Creating Content at Scale ([41:50])
- Content Generation: Gemini can automate content creation, from pulling structured data from the web (e.g., top Chicago restaurants with ratings) to generating custom text (email subject lines, product descriptions).
- End-to-End Workflows: Start from raw data and build layers—descriptions, pitches, email content, etc.—all within one sheet.
“You don't even have to start with a spreadsheet... Gemini does a great job at pulling in up-to-date and relevant information.”
— Jordan Wilson ([43:05])
5. Spotting Non-Obvious Trends ([48:13])
- Advanced Analysis: Prompt Gemini to uncover subtle patterns and relationships in large datasets that even a seasoned data analyst might miss.
- Example Trends Identified:
- Niche deep dives drive more downloads than general news episodes
- Earlier weekday releases perform better
- “Google” and “Gemini” in titles outperform “Microsoft” or “ChatGPT”
- Longer titles for niche topics work best
“Sometimes you will get more out of seeing how a model like this thinks through your spreadsheet than maybe the... 10 trends... that are maybe off target.”
— Jordan Wilson ([50:40])
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
“It's almost like, what is Gemini doing in these different workspace? It's not like that anymore. It is really freaking good.”
— Jordan Wilson ([06:48]) -
“If you're someone that spends... an hour a day in spreadsheets, you can't afford to not use this.”
— Jordan Wilson ([55:09]) -
“I'm using it almost like a brainstorming partner in spreadsheets. I'm okay at spreadsheets... But it's really looking beyond and beneath kind of the actual stats in your spreadsheet.”
— Jordan Wilson ([56:09])
Important Segment Timestamps
- [05:02] — Jordan’s early take on Gemini and how it has changed
- [13:00] — Core benefits and use cases of Gemini in Sheets
- [21:00] — Task 1: Discovering what's possible
- [26:25] — Task 2: Instant dashboard generation
- [35:05] — Task 3: Sentiment analysis using Gems and formulas
- [41:50] — Task 4: Creating content from structured/unstructured data
- [48:13] — Task 5: Spotting non-obvious trends in your data
- [50:40] — Guidance on reviewing AI’s method of analysis
- [55:09] — Strong endorsement to use Gemini if you regularly work in Sheets
Tone and Language
Jordan maintains a conversational, energetic, and encouraging tone, mixing expert insights and hands-on walkthroughs. The explanations are approachable, de-jargonized, with frequent invitations for listeners to experiment and see the value themselves.
Final Thoughts
This episode offers a wealth of practical, immediately actionable tips for anyone in a business or data-driven role. If you use Google Sheets—even occasionally—the integration of Gemini AI is positioned as a must-try, not just for automation but for true productivity boosts, creativity, and deeper insights.
For more:
- Newsletter and video recap: youreverydayai.com
- Contact and further training: See episode show notes and website
- Sora 2 invite code giveaway: Details towards the episode’s end
