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.