Agent Mode starting to kill work?

Tremblors are still rumbling through the work environment. I think it was last week I learned about Agent Mode (or Excel’s AI Agent) that can create models upon your prompts.

I think I briefly wrote about this a couple of posts ago.

Last week, I saw a video from the Mod Squad where three guys tested Agent Model. Their general assessment was it was actually surprisingly good, but it could not handle the more complicated nuanced stuff.

My impression of them? They seemed calm about. It was a good start but finance (FP&A) users were still going to have to have a hand in the spreadsheet for complicated stuff.

To view that video, click on this:

Early this week, they had another video. My impression was that they were starting to sound a little more panicked.

“About 80 – 90 of these vendors will be wiped out.”

“The investors that have been plowing in money have pulled out.”

“Some of these vendors have already closed down due to investor pull out.”

Those aforementioned quotes are my memory of what they said. Again, seemingly more panicked than before.

Here’s the other video:

So, what are finance professionals to do?

I think back to my early working years when I just pulled up a spreadsheet (then called Lotus 1-2-3) and started using it. I was not worried about losing my computation skills because that was not where the value was. The value was not in how well I computed but was in how well I did the job (which was reconciliations, figuring out differential values, liquidation calculations, and closing).

I used spreadsheets to power me in completing the job faster and with less errors.

I did not lose my thinking skills because I still had to apply it in order to create the spreadsheets and to figure out what needed to be done and how.

The same thought could be applied today because your value is not in creating spreadsheets or models. It is how to use the digital tools to get whatever job needed to be done: maybe some kind of analysis, scenario planning, strategic thinking, etc. But to do those types of jobs, you will have to level up your skills (as those guys reasoned in the videos).

Again, your value is not in creating models but in how you do strategic thinking, how you apply creativity to scenario planning, how you use digital tools/AI to solve problems. I’m guessing that is where the value will lie.

Current experience with Agent Mode

I have been working on a project, and I first tried to do it without Agent Mode. There are a couple of reasons to do so: 1) kind of worried of people thinking I’m cheating and 2) wanted to retain my thinking skills.

But after a week of trying to resolve an issue, I decided to use Agent Mode. It almost produced the solution in about 5 to 7 minutes. A week versus 7 minutes: no contest.

I say almost solved because when I tested the formulas with some more unusual situations or the edge cases, it failed.

But it was a great start.

I’m going to have to use Agent Mode in the contest because there will be people out there using it. But can they wrap it up? If they weren’t using Excel like I was, maybe not. But I need to get with the program.

How do I maintain my critical thinking skills, my problem-solving skills? I’m still working on that question.

One thing I noticed: it’s not as fun to use Agent Model because I do like the challenge of figuring out mathematical problems. The frictionless ease of arriving at a solution is unsatisfactory. I’m going to have to develop my kick elsewhere.

Closing words

We are really entering a scary era with generative AI. With the latest addition of Agent Mode (or AI agent) into Excel, some third-party vendors are predicted to be gone. Already, some have closed down due to funding being pulled by the investors.

If you have been selling yourself as a maestro Excel modeler, you are going to have to reassess your position here. You need to level up because anyone can prompt the Agent Mode to create the model.

You need to figure out what you can do that they can’t do with Agent Mode. It may be testing the model. It may be creating slightly more complex models. Creativity in modeling might be the way to go.

Good luck out there!