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PwC engineers built an AI agent to tackle the corporate world's least sexy task: spreadsheets
TechnologyBusiness Insider3d ago

PwC engineers built an AI agent to tackle the corporate world's least sexy task: spreadsheets

PwC, like many consulting firms, is investing heavily in engineering talent. Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images PwC's engineers have created a new AI agent to tackle enterprise-grade spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are unsexy, but crucial to corporate operations, PwC exec Matt Wood told Business Insider. Traditional AIs "just kind of shrug and give up" when they meet a big spreadsheet, Wood said. The real way to judge a company's AI expertise isn't in the flashy headlines, but by looking at the "unsexy" work rolling out behind the scenes, Matt Wood, PwC's global and US commercial technology and innovation officer, told Business Insider. If Wood's theory holds — that real AI prowess shows up in unglamorous advances — PwC's latest launch is certainly notable. After all, what could be less sexy than spreadsheets? The Big Four firm announced this week that it has developed a "frontier AI agent" capable of reasoning over vast, enterprise-grade spreadsheets — something that conventional AI systems struggle with because of their complexity, size, and interdependencies. The agent can understand and navigate spreadsheets, mimicking "how experienced practitioners work: scanning, searching, jumping across tabs, integrating charts and receipts, and reasoning," PwC said in a press release. Why spreadsheets matter Wood, who joined PwC in 2024 from a role as vice president of AI at Amazon Web Services, said that when he started, he'd noticed the wraparound, ultra-wide monitors filled with spreadsheets: "That's all anybody was working on," he said. But these were not "your school soccer team budget spreadsheet," said Wood. The spreadsheets that power large enterprises are enormously complex, often containing millions of cells, charts, graphs, images, receipts, and dozens of interlinked workbooks. "They are more like financial engines than they are spreadsheets," he told Business Insider. These files often underpin business-critical decisions, yet PwC "found that even today's modern AI was very poorly suited to managing these big enterprise spreadsheets," Wood said. "They just kind of shrug and give up for want of a better word." Matt Wood, PwC's global and US commercial technology and innovation officer. PwC Creating an AI capable of understanding and reasoning across large, complicated spreadsheet applications is what PwC's engineers set out to solve. Their solution was a "genuine advance in the field," Wood said. The agent has unlocked use cases across assurance, advisory, and tax, and boosts time saving on some tasks "from literally days to hours," said Wood. He gave the example of audit walkthroughs, where teams previously spent weeks manually gathering and validating evidence across numerous complex spreadsheets that existing AI tools couldn't handle. Now, users simply upload the files, and the frontier agent automatically maps their structure, extracts relevant data, and performs validation and consistency checks — tasks that would otherwise require combing through millions of rows by hand. The result is faster meetings, less back-and-forth with clients, and cleaner, structured data ready for deeper AI-driven analysis, he said. Consulting powered by engineers PwC's AI spreadsheet agent was built in-house by engineers — a function the firm has been rapidly expanding as it shifts beyond the traditional roles associated with the Big Four. In January, PwC launched a dedicated tech engineering career track to attract more technical talent, saying it wants to become "a destination for top engineering talent." Previously, the firm offered only consulting and accounting career paths. Wood told Business Insider that adding the engineering track is "a signpost" of its future plans. At the same time, PwC is retraining non-technical employees. The US branch of the firm recently announced a companywide workplace learning strategy focused on knowledge sharing and on developing a mix of human and AI skills needed for the future. Wood described the work engineers do at PwC as having two modes: "transforming today" and "building for tomorrow." The first focuses on improving current workflows — reducing back-and-forth with clients, increasing trust, and delivering work more efficiently. The second reimagines professional services from scratch: "If you were to start from a blank piece of paper, what would professional services look like in an AI agent world?" said Wood. PwC engineers also work directly on client engagements, building AI systems tailored to specific projects. For example, they help organizations reorganize and redesign their finance functions from the ground up using agents, Wood said. Many of the consulting industry's top players are pursuing similar investments in technical talent as AI reshapes the work they do. Accenture, already one of consulting's most technically sophisticated players, has added nearly 40,000 AI and data professionals in the last two years. They now account for roughly 10% of its global headcount. EY, another Big Four firm, has added 61,000 technologists since 2023, according to its latest annual report. Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pthompson@businessinsider.com or Signal at Polly_Thompson.89. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider

Tennessee pulls away from Oklahoma late 89-66
SportYahoo5d ago

Tennessee pulls away from Oklahoma late 89-66

The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Oklahoma Sooners on Wednesday night by the score of 89-66 at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. But at times, it certainly didn’t feel like a blowout on the court. Nate Ament led Tennessee with 29 points and six rebounds. Ja’Kobi Gillespie was a force on both ends of the […]

‘My Wife Cries’ Review: A Wry Relationship Drama Whose Delights Don’t Always Cohere
Culturevarietyhollywood-reporterscreen-rant6d ago3 sources

‘My Wife Cries’ Review: A Wry Relationship Drama Whose Delights Don’t Always Cohere

Angela Schanelec’s wry relationship drama “My Wife Cries” is filled with lengthy conversations delivered in dry, sardonic tones, which secretly brim with withheld emotion. The tale of a couple growing apart, their distance exacerbated by a traumatic event, the film’s use of space, dialogue and bodies paves intriguing inroads into character psychologies that remain just […]

Emma Hayes strikes balance of experience and youth for USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup roster
SportThe GuardianYahoo6d ago2 sources

Emma Hayes strikes balance of experience and youth for USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup roster

Rodman, Thompson and Girma feature in 26-player team US will face Argentina, Canada and Colombia in March Emma Hayes has struck a balance of experience and rising young talent in her squad for the 2026 SheBelieves Cup. The friendly competition will pit the US women against Argentina, Canada and Colombia in early March. This year marks the first time that teams can select 26 players for their SheBelieves squad, although each coach must determine 23 players who will be available for each game. Continue reading...

Tristan Thompson Brings the Bling With Private Jet and Luxury Ride
SportYahoo7d ago

Tristan Thompson Brings the Bling With Private Jet and Luxury Ride

Tristan Thompson made it clear he was embracing the luxury lifestyle when the 34-year-old NBA star shared a series of flashy travel moments on Instagram on Thursday, February 12, giving fans a front-row seat to his high-flying getaway. The Cleveland Cavaliers forward opened the post with a polished shot of himself stepping off a sleek […]

Toronto man donates $10 million to expand OCD treatment centre that changed his life
Healthcbc10h ago

Toronto man donates $10 million to expand OCD treatment centre that changed his life

For decades, Brian Reeve has lived with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Seven years ago, he hit a breaking point when the time-consuming rituals began interfering with his daily life and ability to function. After seeking treatment at the Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre, he is now in remission and giving back through a large donation.

Chelsea dig deep to beat Manchester United in FA Cup, but bigger tests await
SportYahoo1d ago

Chelsea dig deep to beat Manchester United in FA Cup, but bigger tests await

As Manchester United’s players fell to the floor on the referee’s whistle, Chelsea’s coalesced into an exhausted, joyous huddle in their own penalty area. There was a roar of celebration from Sam Kerr, unbridled, bouncing joy as Alyssa Thompson and Lucy Bronze ran over from the dugout, and a palpable sense of relief. Chelsea had knocked their fellow Women’s Super League heavyweights out of the Women’s FA Cup, but it was not easy. United kept Chelsea at bay until substitute Kerr scored in the 78t