Square has launched new features for merchants through its payments platform. These updates include an AI-powered voice ordering system for restaurants, improvements to its AI assistants, and a new integrated Bitcoin solution.
Restaurants and cafes using Square can now use artificial intelligence to manage incoming phone calls. This technology is especially helpful for cloud kitchens and other delivery-focused businesses. The AI system can take orders, handle customizations, and answer questions about the menu. It can understand specific requests, such as asking for today’s specials or instructions to make a meal spicy without using dairy.
Other companies are also developing voice AI for restaurants. Square states its solution is differentiated because it is fully integrated with its existing payment and kiosk ecosystem, which simplifies order management for business owners.
Additional new features for restaurants include an integration with Grubhub to manage third-party delivery orders more efficiently. There is also a redesigned kiosk interface for quicker access to popular menu items and an AI-powered inventory management tool to help optimize supply levels.
Square is also enhancing its Square AI assistant, which was launched in open beta earlier this year. The assistant can now provide local insights, including weather, nearby events, and industry trends. While it could already create data visualizations, merchants can now save these as auto-updating widgets on their dashboards. Other new features include access to conversation history with the AI and a dedicated dashboard on the mobile app.
In terms of Bitcoin, Square is introducing a comprehensive solution for sellers, including a digital wallet. This reflects the well-known affinity for Bitcoin held by Block’s co-founder, Jack Dorsey. To encourage adoption, the company will allow businesses to accept Bitcoin directly from their point-of-sale machines with no processing fee for the first year. Starting in 2027, a one percent processing fee will apply.
The new integrated Square Bitcoin wallet allows merchants to buy, sell, hold, and withdraw the cryptocurrency directly from their dashboard. Last year, Square allowed merchants to convert between one and ten percent of their daily earnings into Bitcoin. With this new solution, merchants can choose to convert up to fifty percent of their daily revenue. The company reports that since the start of its Bitcoin conversion program, users have accumulated 142 Bitcoins, which is valued at over seventeen million dollars at the time of writing.
A company executive stated that these Bitcoin tools are designed to ensure sellers never miss a sale and to provide them with powerful financial management tools previously available only to large corporations. The company aims to make Bitcoin an everyday form of money and to help future-proof the operations of small businesses.
While many online merchants accept Bitcoin, a significant portion of Bitcoin transactions are still related to speculative trading. Industry forecasts suggest the number of U.S. users who use cryptocurrency as a payment method is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. Block, with its bullish stance on Bitcoin, aims to capitalize on this increasing adoption with its new merchant offerings.