# AI formulas for Google Sheets: what returns a number, what returns text

There are two kinds of AI formula for a spreadsheet, and they answer different questions. One writes text into a cell. The other returns a judgment you can sort.

Updated 22 September 2026. Source: https://hunchsheet.app/formulas/ai-formulas-google-sheets-number-or-text

## Text in a cell

Chat-style functions, including Google's own AI function in Sheets and the add-ons built on chat models, take a prompt and return generated text: a summary, a rewrite, a draft, a category name in whatever wording the model chose that time. That is the right tool for writing. It is a poor tool for scoring: the format drifts between rows, "0.8" from a chat model is a token rather than a probability, and the price is usually per token, so a long ticket costs more than a short one.

## A judgment in a cell

Hunch's three formulas return exactly one of three shapes, identical in every row:

```
=HUNCH(A2, "Is this lead a decision maker?")            → 0.91
=HUNCHPICK(A2, "billing|refund|bug|other")             → "refund"
=HUNCHSCORE(A2, "How frustrated is the customer?", "calm|annoyed|angry|furious") → 2.48
```
In Excel: `=HUNCH.ASK(A2, "Is this lead a decision maker?")            → 0.91
=HUNCH.PICK(A2, "billing|refund|bug|other")             → "refund"
=HUNCH.SCORE(A2, "How frustrated is the customer?", "calm|annoyed|angry|furious") → 2.48`

The answers come from Jev, a model by TypeSafe built to return calibrated judgments rather than text. A 0.91 is meant as a probability. One row is one credit, whatever its length.

## Side by side

|  | Chat-style AI function | Hunch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Output | Generated text | Probability, option, or level |
| Format between rows | Varies | Identical |
| Price | Per token or per plan | Per row, $29 for 5,000 |
| Install | Add-on or a paid plan | Copy a sheet, paste a key |
| Writes prose | Yes | No |
| Sorts and pivots | After cleanup | Directly |

## What Hunch cannot do

- Write anything: no summaries, no drafts, no rewrites.
- Arithmetic, counting, or comparing dates. Keep those in normal formulas.
- Read images or files. Text in a cell only.
- Languages other than English at the same accuracy. Test a sample first.

> Tip: Use both. Let a chat function draft the reply, and let a Hunch column decide which tickets need one first.

## Questions

### Does Hunch need an add-on?

No. The template is a Google Sheet with the formulas built in; copy it and paste your key. To use the formulas in a sheet you already have, the template page shows how to copy the script across.

### Is my data used to train anything?

No. Text passes through to compute the answer and is not stored by Hunch; TypeSafe states it does not train on customer requests. See the privacy page.