TU5.9 - What's new in the AppSheet world? A chat with AppSheet Engineering Lead Mike Procopio

AI is changing everything and AppSheet is no exception! In this episode, we will welcome Engineering Lead Mike Procopio from the Google AppSheet team to hear how AI is driving innovation, enabling assisted app development, automated insights, smart workflows, and more! So whether you are no-code, low-code or “what’s code?”, join us to find out what the future holds for AppSheet for building powerful, intelligent apps with Google Workspace.

Feature Releases

Available in open beta: Build AppSheet automations using Google Forms - https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.c...

Announcing: AI-assisted app creation with Gemini in AppSheet! - https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/...

Introducing AppSheet Organizations - http://workspaceupdates.googleblog.co...

General Links

AppSheet - Supercharge your work with no-code
https://appsheet.com

Today's Guest: Mike Procopio, Senior Staff Software Engineer, AppSheet
https://mikeprocopio.com

The AppSheet Blog
https://workspace.google.com/blog/app...

The AppSheet Community
https://googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/A...

Mike's full session at Cloud Next
AppSheet: No-code revolution powered by AI
https://cloud.withgoogle.com/next/pla...

Key moments
00:05 Introduction & AppSheet's Rise

This chapter introduces the hosts, Martin and Charles, and their guest, Mike Procopio, an Engineering Lead at AppSheet. They discuss the growing popularity of AppSheet and the increasing interest in no-code application development.

01:06 The Power of AppSheet & Citizen Development

The conversation explores how AppSheet empowers users of all technical levels to build applications and automate workflows. Mike emphasizes the value of citizen development and how AppSheet enables individuals closest to the problems to create solutions.

04:04 Mike's Journey: From Drive to AppSheet

Mike shares his career journey at Google, starting with his work on Google Drive, where he witnessed the early days of cloud-based file systems and real-time collaboration. He explains his passion for developer tools and how it led him to AppSheet.

07:27 The Transition to AppSheet & Its Unique Culture

Mike delves deeper into his transition from Drive to AppSheet, highlighting his desire to return to a more hands-on engineering role. He praises AppSheet's start-up like culture and its ability to integrate within Google while maintaining its agility.

10:34 Mike's Contributions to AppSheet & Workspace Integrations

This chapter focuses on Mike's specific contributions to AppSheet, such as the integration with Google Workspace tools like Sheets, Drive, Chat, and Gmail. He emphasizes the importance of reducing barriers to entry and empowering users through seamless integrations.

19:07 Understanding AppSheet: Target Users and Use Cases

Mike explains what AppSheet is and who it's for. He emphasizes its ability to help individuals and businesses automate processes, even those that are informal or undocumented. He also discusses how AppSheet caters to both small businesses and large organizations with governance needs.

26:12 Governance and Monitoring: Empowering Responsible Citizen Development

This chapter delves into the crucial topic of governance and monitoring in AppSheet. Mike shares advice for organizations looking to embrace citizen development while maintaining control and oversight. He introduces the new AppSheet Admin Console and its features for monitoring app usage and implementing policies.

30:32 - Demo: AppSheet Admin Console

Mike showcases the new AppSheet admin console, highlighting its features for monitoring app usage, managing licenses, and implementing policies for governing app behavior. He emphasizes the console's role in providing transparency and control for administrators.

36:42 Meeting Users Where They Are & The Future of AppSheet with AI

The conversation explores AppSheet's vision of "meeting users where they are" through contextual integrations and automation. Mike showcases the newly launched "Create an App with Gemini" feature, which utilizes generative AI to build applications from text prompts. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the future of AppSheet and its commitment to innovation.

52:56 - Demo: AppSheet's AI Integration with Gemini

Mike demonstrates the newly launched AI integration with Gemini, allowing users to create AppSheet applications using text prompts. He showcases the ability to generate app structures, tables, and data based on natural language descriptions, providing a powerful starting point for app development.