Most people think of Excel as a place to crunch numbers — but what if your spreadsheet could run real-time risk assessments with the help of AI?

That’s exactly what I set out to prove with this proof-of-concept: connecting Excel directly to Claude AI and transforming it into a live risk analysis tool.

The Challenge

Risk assessments are vital for planning, compliance, and decision-making — but they’re often time-consuming and manual. Businesses rely on separate tools, templates, or external platforms, which adds friction and slows down quick decision-making.

I wanted to show how AI could slot directly into the tools people already use every day — in this case, Excel — to deliver instant insights.

The Solution

I built a working demo where a user can trigger real-time risk analysis directly from within Excel.

  • 📊 Real-time analysis – a simple spreadsheet entry launches an AI-powered risk assessment.

  • ⚡ Custom VBA integration – Excel’s VBA engine calls the Claude API seamlessly.

  • 🛡️ Actionable outputs – the AI returns both a risk rating and suggested mitigation steps.

  • 🚀 Proof-of-concept – not a polished product, but a clear demonstration of what’s possible when you combine AI with Excel automation.

Behind the scenes, VBA handled the API requests, passing data from the spreadsheet to Claude and writing the AI’s response back into the workbook instantly.

Why This Matters

This demo highlights just how far Excel can be pushed beyond its reputation as a “number cruncher.” By connecting it to AI services:

  • Businesses can save time on repetitive risk evaluations.

  • Event planners, project managers, and analysts can get instant safety checks without leaving Excel.

  • Developers and automation specialists can explore practical AI integrations that make everyday tools more intelligent.

It’s not a finished tool — but it’s a vision of how automation and AI can come together inside the software most professionals already trust.

Want Something Similar?

If this sparks ideas for your business, I can help turn them into reality. Whether it’s custom Excel automation, API integrations, or AI-enabled reporting, I specialise in building solutions that save time and unlock new insights.

👉 Get in touch at helptechnical.co.uk

AI-Powered Risk Assessment in Excel