Introducing Square AI: making business data easier to turn into clearer decisions

New research shows Aussie businesses spend more than 10,000 minutes a year on admin and data, time Square AI is designed to give back.

March 25, 2026 — Square today announced the launch of Square AI, a free, conversational AI assistant built directly into the Square platform to help Australian businesses of all sizes make clearer, faster decisions using their own business data.

The launch follows new research commissioned by Square which shows that while Australian businesses are some of the world’s fastest AI adopters, they aren’t yet getting the most out of the technology and are still faced with significant pressure when it comes to time, data, and decision-making.

Nearly two-thirds of Australian businesses (64%) already use AI, though less than half (41%) use the technology regularly. At the same time, Aussie business owners say they spend an average of 3.34 hours per week analysing business data, and believe that AI could cut that down to just over an hour a week. That time back, operators say, would be spent on: improving work life balance (42%), spending more time with customers (34%), and working on new ideas to help grow their business (34%).

Local businesses are also looking toward AI to support their decision making. Today, more than half of owners describe themselves as instinct-led decision makers, while just 21% say they’re data-led. However, almost all Australian owners (92%) say they feel more confident when their intuition is backed by data and insights.

“Speaking to Aussie businesses, we hear that time is one of the most valuable resources right now,” said David Schnabl, Head of Account Management at Square in Australia. “It’s a challenging business environment at the moment, and with so many pressures on owners, every minute counts. We’ve built Square AI to help shoulder some of that burden, and reduce the time spent on admin and analysis, so businesses can focus more on their customers and their success.”

The findings suggest that while larger businesses are more likely to use AI to guide decisions today, smaller operators are just as data-driven and stand to benefit most from tools that make insight easier to access. Square AI is designed to help level the playing field by making insight more accessible to businesses of all sizes.

“Across our markets, we’re already seeing businesses use Square AI to get clearer on their performance, make faster decisions, and spend less time buried in reports,” said Willem Avé, Global Head of Product at Square. “Businesses generate enormous amounts of data every day through payments and commerce. For a long time, turning that data into real insight has been something reserved for larger organisations with analysts and operations teams. Square AI levels the playing field by bringing powerful analytics into the flow of running a business, through a simple, conversational AI assistant. It enables businesses of every size to combine their instinct with real data, without complexity.”

Because Square brings together payments, sales, and day-to-day business operations in one place, it already has a uniquely clear, unified view of how businesses run. Square AI is built to work across that existing ecosystem, helping businesses turn the information they already rely on into clearer insight, without needing separate tools, integrations, or manual analysis.

Square AI is a free tool built directly into Square’s platform, making it simpler and more cost-friendly to adopt advanced AI tools. The powerful technology has been used in private testing by real Aussie businesses since late 2025, and is already helping them get rapid answers from their vast datasets, and spend less time stuck in spreadsheets or pulling reports.

• Deeper, context-aware business insight, combining a seller’s own data with relevant local information such as weather, events, and neighbourhood trends (for example, the impact of a wet weekend or a local footy match) to inform staffing, inventory, and deals;
• Natural, conversational interaction, allowing business owners to ask questions in everyday language (such as how sales compare to last year or which items are selling best) and get instant answers without digging through reports or dashboards;
• Real-time insights on business performance, with AI-generated charts and views that can be pinned so key trends are always visible (for example, daily takings, peak trading hours, or week-on-week performance)
• Conversation history, enabling owners to revisit previous questions and continue exploring insights over time (such as tracking whether a staffing change or a new deal made a difference)
• Mobile access, so insights and answers are available on the Square Dashboard app (whether owners are on the shop floor, between tables, or away from the business).

One of the first businesses using this technology in Australia was Surry Hills’ neighbourhood fried chicken, champagne and sneaker store, Butter.

“Running a hospo business right now is tough, and the margin for error is small,” said Julian Cincotta, co-founder of Butter. “We’re in our numbers every week because the environment’s constantly shifting and you have to stay on top of it. Square AI gives us real clarity: it quickly and easily shows us where revenue’s coming from, when service is quiet, and where we can adjust staffing or rethink how we trade across the week. We can act faster and make confident decisions without losing hours to reports, and that makes a real difference.”

Square AI is free for Australian sellers to use and works inside the tools they already rely on, supporting everyday decisions without replacing human judgement.

Research conducted by Censuswide among 500 Australian business owners between 29 December 2025 and 9 January 2026.