Google’s Data Science Agent: Can It Really Do Your Job?

I tested Google’s Data Science Agent in Colab — here’s what it got right (and where it failed)

On March 3rd, Google officially rolled out its Data Science Agent to most Colab users for free. This is not something brand new — it was first announced in December last year, but it is now integrated into Colab and made widely accessible.

Google says it is “The future of data analysis with Gemini”, stating: “Simply describe your analysis goals in plain language, and watch your notebook take shape automatically, helping accelerate your ability to conduct research and data analysis.” But is it a real game-changer in data science? What can it actually do, and what can’t it do? Is it ready to replace data analysts and data scientists? And what does it tell us about the future of data science careers?

In this article, I will explore these questions with real-world examples.

Image generated by DALLE

What It Can Do

The Data Science Agent is straightforward to use:

1. Open a new notebook in Google Colab — you just need a Google Account and can use Google Colab for free;
2. Click “Analyze files with Gemini” — this will open the Gemini chat window on the right;