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Excel and AI: Code Your Way to Hours Back Every Week

Dec 17, 2025

In this discussion, Kyle Ashcraft, CPA and founder of Maxwell CPA Review, explores how accountants can harness AI, specifically Cursor and Python, to supercharge their Excel workflows. He highlights the gap in AI adoption among professionals and introduces vibe coding—a simplified coding approach. Kyle provides live demonstrations, showing how to clean messy spreadsheets and automate tasks while addressing data privacy concerns. He shares ready-to-use scripts, empowering listeners to reclaim valuable hours in their workweek.

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ADVICE

Adopt AI Incrementally

Do learn one new AI tool per week to stay relevant and protect your career.
Be patient and experiment to integrate AI into daily workflows effectively.

INSIGHT

Limit What AI Sees

Sending entire workbooks to ChatGPT risks privacy and unclear changes.
Use intermediaries to limit what data the AI sees and track edits more safely.

ADVICE

Use Cursor For Safer Excel AI

Do use Cursor as an intermediary to generate deterministic Python scripts applied locally to Excel.
Set Cursor privacy mode to prevent training-data use and reduce retention risk.

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You open Excel daily, but are you using AI to make it work for you? While 58% of professionals have tried AI, only 17% use it regularly—a missed opportunity. Join CPA Kyle Ashcraft in this hands-on webinar to learn vibe coding—a no-programming approach using Cursor AI to automate repetitive Excel tasks. Watch Kyle transform messy spreadsheets, organize GL data, and reconcile transactions with simple AI prompts while keeping data secure. You'll get three ready-to-use scripts plus a framework to automate countless tasks and reclaim hours weekly.

(Originally recorded on October 20, 2025, on Earmark Webinars+)

Chapters

(02:18) - Meet Kyle Ashcraft and His AI Journey
(02:31) - The Importance of AI in Accounting
(03:30) - Kyle's Background and CPA Review
(04:38) - Live Webinar and Audience Interaction
(05:12) - Kyle's AI Projects and Cursor Introduction
(07:39) - Data Privacy Concerns with AI
(17:18) - Practical AI in Excel: Examples and Demonstration
(20:03) - Getting Started with Cursor
(23:55) - First Cursor Project: Cleaning Up Excel Data
(31:38) - Jumping into Financial Document Verification
(32:50) - Exploring Cursor's Privacy Settings
(33:48) - Understanding Data Retention Policies
(36:23) - Comparing Excel Files with Cursor
(36:48) - Analyzing Complex GL Details
(42:22) - Using Cursor for Recurring Accounting Tasks
(49:20) - Leveraging AI for Audit and Analysis
(50:53) - Practical Tips for Implementing Cursor
(53:56) - Q&A: Advanced Cursor Features
(59:04) - Conclusion and Next Steps

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Resources

Intro to Cursor PDF Guide - https://mcusercontent.com/02dbcae4a3e3f15021db25a0c/files/deff5647-e0a3-51d7-4225-cf8b3a48532d/Cursor_AI_Quick_Guide.pdf

Webinar presentation - https://ai.maxwellstudy.com/

Connect with Our Guest, Kyle Ashcraft, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-ashcraft-cpa-7638a42a

Learn more about Maxwell CPA Review

https://maxwellcpareview.com/

Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/