Use Google Sheets' AI to Generate Metadata Fields

What This Does

Google Sheets can detect patterns across your existing metadata rows and auto-suggest values for new items, dramatically speeding up the repetitive work of filling in consistent description fields for digitized collections.

Before You Start

• You have a Google account (free)
• Google Sheets is open in your browser
• You have a metadata spreadsheet with at least a few completed rows as examples

Steps

1. Set up your metadata spreadsheet

Open or create a Google Sheets spreadsheet with columns for your metadata fields, for example: Item ID, Title, Creator, Date, Format, Subject, Description, Rights Statement.

Fill in at least 3–5 rows completely with real metadata for items you've already cataloged. These are your pattern examples.

What you should see: A spreadsheet with completed example rows and empty rows waiting to be filled.

2. Use Smart Fill for consistent field values

Click into an empty cell in a column where you want AI-suggested values (for example, the "Rights Statement" column for a row with a new item).

Start typing a value. Google Sheets will show a gray suggested completion based on patterns from your existing rows.

Press Tab or Enter to accept the suggestion, or ignore it and type your own value.

What you should see: Gray suggested text appearing as you type, matching the pattern of your existing entries.

3. Use the =AI() function for description generation (if available)

In an empty Description cell, type:

=AI("Write a one-sentence description of this item based on: Title=" & A2 & ", Creator=" & C2 & ", Date=" & D2)

Replace A2, C2, D2 with the actual cell references for your Title, Creator, and Date columns.

Press Enter. Google Sheets generates a description based on the other fields in that row.

What you should see: A generated description appears in the cell. Review it for accuracy before treating it as final.

Troubleshooting: If =AI() isn't available, use the Extensions → Add-ons menu to look for AI-powered plugins, or use Smart Fill (Step 2) as your primary AI feature.

4. Fill multiple rows at once with Smart Fill

Once you have a pattern established, select a range of empty cells in a column and go to Data → Smart Fill. Sheets will suggest values for all selected cells at once.

Review the suggestions and press Ctrl+Enter to accept, or click individual cells to edit before accepting.

Real Example

Scenario: You're cataloging a batch of 50 digitized photographs from a local history collection. You've completed metadata for the first 8 photos; the remaining 42 need consistent "Format" and "Rights Statement" values.

What you do: Select the empty Format cells for rows 9–50. Go to Data → Smart Fill. Sheets detects that most items are "Photograph, black-and-white" and suggests that value for all selected cells.

What you get: 42 cells filled consistently in seconds instead of 42 individual entries.

Tips

• The more complete rows you have as examples, the better the suggestions. Plan your example rows carefully before starting a large batch
• Smart Fill works best for controlled vocabulary fields (Format, Rights, Subject) where values repeat; it's less useful for unique fields like Title or Description
• Always review AI-generated descriptions before finalizing; they can be confidently wrong about specific details

Tool interfaces change. If a button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the same menu area.