A new AI agent is making waves for spreadsheet power users. Shortcut AI, accessible through its website that mirrors an Excel interface, features a sidebar chatbot designed to automate tedious spreadsheet tasks, from building complex financial models to conducting competitive analyses. The tool's "agentic" nature allows it to handle multi-step operations on behalf of the user. In a demonstration, Shortcut AI's founder and CEO, Nico Christie, showcased how the agent could swap data in a financial model by automatically finding and inputting information from Google's SEC filings. Shortcut launched with the provocative tagline, "Try Shortcut (before your boss does)," and Christie claims the agent can "one-shot most knowledge work tasks on Excel." Private testing against first-year analysts from firms like McKinsey and Goldman Sachs reportedly showed Shortcut winning 89.1% of the time, a claim that Mashable has not independently verified. This development echoes predictions from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei about AI potentially displacing half of entry-level white-collar jobs. As advanced AI models increasingly automate complex desk tasks, studies already indicate a decrease in entry-level tech hiring, suggesting AI's impact on the job market is accelerating. The optimistic outlook is that tools like Shortcut will augment human workers, freeing them from time-consuming tasks to focus on more creative and strategic endeavors that AI is less adept at. Agentic AI is already reshaping how employees approach their jobs, acting as a competitive edge for professionals in fields like finance and consulting. Shortcut AI is marketed as a "secret weapon" for these professionals, allowing them to edit and export files seamlessly, with the output indistinguishable from human-created work. The finance community has taken notice, with many expressing excitement about the potential for AI to automate significant portions of their workflows. However, early users and Christie himself acknowledge current limitations, including slowness and occasional formatting issues, with a recognized need for improved user review processes.

How to try Shortcut AI

Shortcut offers two subscription tiers: Shortcut Pro at $40 per month and Shortcut Max at $200 per month, which includes advanced model access and other premium features. A 7-day free trial is available for both options. More information can be found at tryshortcut.ai. It's important to note that the Shortcut AI Excel agent is distinct from Apple's iOS Shortcuts app, though Apple has announced AI enhancements for its own app. There is also another unrelated company named Shortcut operating in the agentic AI space.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

About Shortcut AI

Q: What is Shortcut AI? A: Shortcut AI is a new AI agent designed to automate tedious tasks within spreadsheets, particularly for professionals who frequently use tools like Microsoft Excel. Q: How does the Shortcut AI agent work? A: The agent operates as a chatbot within a spreadsheet-like interface. Users can task it with complex operations, such as data manipulation, model building, and competitive analysis, allowing it to handle multi-step processes autonomously. Q: What is "agentic AI"? A: Agentic AI refers to AI systems that can autonomously perform multi-step tasks and make decisions to achieve a user-defined goal, rather than just responding to single prompts.

Features and Capabilities

Q: What kind of tasks can Shortcut AI perform? A: Shortcut AI can automate tasks like building complex financial models, conducting competitive analyses, and swapping data within existing templates, even by referencing external data sources like SEC filings. Q: Can I edit existing spreadsheets with Shortcut AI? A: Yes, you can edit existing Excel files within Shortcut AI and export them back to Excel, with the aim of making the edits seamless and undetectable. Q: What are the claimed performance metrics of Shortcut AI? A: In private testing, Shortcut AI claimed to outperform first-year analysts from top firms 89.1% of the time and beat ChatGPT Agent 90% of the time, though these claims are unverified.

Pricing and Access

Q: How much does Shortcut AI cost? A: Shortcut AI offers two plans: Shortcut Pro for $40 per month and Shortcut Max for $200 per month. Q: Is there a free trial available for Shortcut AI? A: Yes, a 7-day free trial is available for both Shortcut Pro and Shortcut Max plans.

Potential Impact

Q: What is the potential impact of AI agents like Shortcut on the job market? A: Tools like Shortcut AI are part of a broader trend where AI is automating desk job tasks, leading to discussions about potential job displacement, particularly in entry-level white-collar roles. Q: What is the optimistic view of AI tools like Shortcut for workers? A: The optimistic perspective is that these tools will automate time-consuming tasks, allowing human workers to focus on more creative, strategic, and higher-value work that AI cannot replicate.

Crypto Market AI's Take

The emergence of specialized AI agents like Shortcut AI highlights a significant shift in how we interact with complex software and data. Our platform, Crypto Market AI, also leverages advanced AI to provide sophisticated market intelligence and automated trading solutions for the cryptocurrency space. Just as Shortcut AI aims to streamline spreadsheet work, our AI-driven tools are designed to optimize cryptocurrency trading strategies, analyze market trends, and manage portfolios with unparalleled efficiency and insight. The capability of these new AI agents to perform multi-step tasks and integrate external data sources is a testament to the growing power of agentic AI, a field that is increasingly impacting various sectors, including finance and trading. Discover how AI is transforming financial markets:

The Shortcut AI Excel agent could 'one-shot' spreadsheet jobs. Here's how to try it.