Google is using its AI plans to transform tools that once seemed mature. The most compelling example is Sheets canvas, a feature that turns a spreadsheet into a small interactive application via a prompt. It is a direction that brings spreadsheets closer to the no-code world: the data stays in the grid, but the interface can become something more akin to custom-built software.
In the same bundle, Google is pushing Google Pics, designed for creating and editing images, and Gemini Spark, its personal agent, now with deeper integrations into Chrome and Google Photos. The strategy is clear: rather than building a single standalone AI app, distribute generative and agentic capabilities directly into the products billions of people already use.
The spreadsheet as an informal database
Across countless companies, Sheets and Excel already serve as makeshift databases, CRMs, inventory systems, and planning tools. The ability to generate an interface on top of this data could democratize a practice that previously required scripts, third-party tools, or dedicated no-code platforms.
This also shifts the competitive landscape. Airtable, Notion, Coda, and dozens of startups have built businesses around turning documents and tables into applications. If Google can deliver this natively within Workspace, some of that value could flow back to its productivity suite.
AI as a shared layer
The real breakthrough is not any single feature. It is the fact that Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Photos, Chrome, and Gemini are becoming components of a more interconnected system, where an agent can seamlessly operate across different contexts. This is likely the battleground where the next phase of competition among Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI will play out.
