Pista: Auditable and Controllable AI Agent for Spreadsheets

A new research paper introduces Pista, an AI agent designed for spreadsheet environments that allows users to audit and control its actions. The paper highlights the challenge of overseeing AI agents that perform complex, multi-step tasks autonomously, often leaving users unaware of underlying decisions until outputs are delivered. In spreadsheets, where process and artifact are inseparable, each agent decision is recorded directly in user cells. Pista decomposes execution into auditable, controllable actions, addressing the lack of transparency and enabling users to examine assumptions, identify errors, and redirect execution as needed.