Tired of manually updating slides? Learn how to use AI to create, update, and automate Google Slides presentations in minutes.
We've all heard of AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, so today we're putting them to the test to create a monthly business review deck for a new client. We'll discuss what works, what doesn't, and suggest some new AI tools designed just for Google Slides.
Creating presentations and reports in Google Slides is essential -- but it takes time. Copying a deck, customizing it for a new client or stakeholder, and updating the data can be repetitive and time-consuming. The typical workflow involves copying an old deck, replacing text like the client name, and updating the charts and text manually by copying and pasting from somewhere else.
Nearly every agency and client-facing team is looking to make this process more efficient. Some enterprises have even outsourced this work to offshore teams. We've all heard about the incredible capabilities offered by Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and others. So, can we use AI to generate Google Slides for a client?
What is Slideform?
Slideform is an AI-enabled automation platform that links your business data to reports and slide decks. Upload a custom slide template or a previous report, and Slideform fills in the data. Use AI to create new charts or analysis, then insert it into the slides. Put your reports on autopilot with Slideform.
We tested five of the leading AI presentation makers with a simple task to make a new client report in Google Slides. Ideally, we would like a solution that can use a previous report as a guide and update the text and data while following the same slide style and layout. The data comes from a client performance dashboard in Looker Studio. The best solutions would also have a scheduling feature so we can generate a new report each month without any manual work.
Here's a previous version of the deck that we need to modify:
ChatGPT is arguably the most well-known and capable of all the AI models out there. It is awesome at summarizing information and generating outlines for new projects.
We gave ChatGPT o4-mini-high the following prompt:
"I want to create a monthly report for a new client. Use this presentation as a model: link to previous deck. The new report is for the client "VBC of America". Please update the client name throughout the deck. I also need to update the charts and data in the report from my client dashboard in Looker Studio. Can you generate a new Google Slides deck for this client?"
ChatGPT cannot create Google Slides natively, but it did put together a Python script to create a new Google Slides deck and replace the client name. However, I would have to to tell it the name of the old client so that is can do the replacement. It suggested that since there is no API for Looker Studio content, I would need to manually export the charts as PNG files and save them to Google Drive, then use the Python script to insert them into my slide deck.
Bottom line: ChatGPT can help you write a script, but it can't create Google Slides or fetch data from Looker Studio. Fail :(
We opened the presentation in Google Slides and gave Gemini the same prompt as above. Here's the response ---- >
Apparently, Gemini cannot create a new slide deck because it can only create slides one at a time. That's a bummer. It can summarize a deck or create a new image, but nothing more helpful.
Gemini for Looker Studio can update linked charts in your slide deck, but it also has important limitations. It cannot update text, there is no scheduling, and you have to manually copy the deck for a new client or date range.
Bottom line: Gemini can create slides one-by-one, but it can't copy a deck or fetch data from a dashboard.
Although it seems like a long shot, we tried the same prompt with Copilot too. Copilot is basically a non-starter because it could not access or modify the Google Slides deck we gave it. It also cannot access the Looker Studio dashboard. Copilot in Powerpoint can create a brand new deck from a prompt or a Word document, which could be useful in some situations, but not in this particular case. Copilot also has no capability to update a deck by pulling in data from other systems.
Bottom line: Copilot does not work with Google Slides and cannot connect to the data I need.
I use Canva a lot for design work, so we decided to test it out for this purpose as well. I used Canva AI in Canva Pro with the same prompt, shown here ---> In the prompt, I also included a slide design created in Canva.
The AI did crete a nice-looking new deck and added the client name "VBC of America" throughout. Unfortunately, it did not use the slide design that I had attached to the prompt! Even if I had liked the designs, there is no way to export a Canva presentation to Google Slides. You have to export to PPT and then upload the PPT to Google Slides. There is also no way to link or update charts and data in the Canva deck.
Bottom line: Canva AI can design a nice presentation template for you, but it does not work with Google Slides and it cannot intelligently replace or update content in an existing deck.
Similar tools: Gamma.app & Beautiful.ai are useful for generating a new, one-off presentation from a document or other content. But they are not useful for recurring reports or pulling data from a dashboard or other dynamic data source.
Slideform is a powerful Google Slides automation tool that eliminates manual work and ensures consistency across client communications. Here’s how we used it to copy and update the client report slides.
Slideform connects directly to your data sources—including HubSpot, Tableau, Looker Studio, Google Sheets, Power BI, and more—to automatically populate your template with real-time metrics. No more exporting, copying, or pasting!
We used Slideform's Looker Studio integration to connect to the client dashboards and pull in all the charts and data for our two clients.
With Slideform, you use a standard Google Slides deck as your report template. Start by uploading a previous version of the report. Then replace the KPIs, charts, and client-specific text with a placeholder, and Slideform will populate them dynamically. Maintaining one shared template for all clients means that reports are on-brand, professional, and always use the latest template.
We linked the client report template to Slideform as a new project. The placeholders were auto-detected and easy to match to the correct charts from the dashboard.
Slideform AI can also answer questions and perform analysis on your data, such as "How many of my keywords had more impressions this month compared to last month?". The answer can then be embedded into your Google Slides deck and regenerated each month.
Once your data sources are connected, Slideform allows you to generate a new report in seconds. The automation engine compiles key performance data, updates visual elements, and formats slides instantly—no manual input required. In addition, you can decide which slides should be shown to which client based on criteria like client industry or product type.
Set up automated schedules so your client reports are generated before each review meeting. This ensures that your team and clients always have access to the latest, most accurate information.