AI can help you use Excel. It cannot replace your understanding of what the numbers mean, how the spreadsheet works, or whether the answer makes sense.

I have been training people in Excel for more than 30 years and one thing has not changed:

People who understand the fundamentals get far more out of Excel, including Copilot.

AI makes Excel more powerful. But it also makes it easier to create something that looks right but is completely wrong.

Here are 3 basic Excel skills that still matter:

1. Understanding how formulas work

You do not need to be a mathematician.

But you should understand the difference between adding a range, calculating an average, and applying a percentage.

If Copilot creates a formula for you, you need enough knowledge to recognise whether it is doing what you actually asked.

2. Working confidently with rows, columns and data

Knowing how to enter, organise, sort and filter information correctly sounds basic.
It is not.

Poorly structured data produces poor results, whether the work is done manually or with AI.

“Dirty data” and incorrectly set up spreadsheets become a huge problem when you start to use analysis tools like Pivot Tables and Power BI.

3. Checking your results

This may be the most important skill of all.

AI can generate a formula or analysis in seconds.
But you are still responsible for the answer.

• Can you spot an unexpected result?
• Can you check whether the calculation makes sense?
• Can you explain the result to your manager or client?

That is where fundamentals matter.

And this is one reason facilitator led training remains valuable.

A good facilitator does more than demonstrate which buttons to press.

They explain why something works, identify misunderstandings, answer questions in context, and help people apply Excel to the work they actually do.

AI can accelerate learning.
It should not replace understanding.

The reality is that AI does not replace Excel skills.
It amplifies them.