A rough estimate suggests a potential $1 trillion annual impact on US labor time if Excel-related work sees a 50% productivity uplift, given that about 38% of knowledge workers’ time is spent in Excel and typical salary levels.

The piece provides concrete examples and references to illustrate real-world gains and shows how non-technical users can still deliver high-quality code via agents.

Agents could use scripting and live data APIs, then feed results back into Excel (potentially through VBA or similar), significantly simplifying data processing and validation for non-technical users.

Agent-based workflows can selectively read only the necessary parts of large spreadsheets, reducing context gaps and enabling iterative debugging and more complex operations than traditional file editing allowed.

New AI agents embedded in spreadsheets, like Shortcut, a Microsoft Office Agent, and Claude for Excel, let non-technical users automate complex tasks directly inside real Excel workbooks, boosting efficiency beyond basic file edits.

Excel and its companion spreadsheet tools are an expansive, underutilized platform where many critical business processes reside, indicating that agents integrated with Excel could unlock substantial economic value.

There will be winners and losers from AI-driven, spreadsheet-centric automation, with broader implications for productivity and how the economy restructures around these tools.