Block today unveiled Managerbot, a new AI agent embedded in the Square platform that proactively monitors a seller’s business, identifies emerging problems, and proposes actionable solutions — without the seller ever having to ask a question. The product marks the most tangible manifestation of CEO Jack Dorsey’s controversial bet that artificial intelligence can fundamentally reshape how his company operates, builds products, and serves the millions of small businesses that depend on Square to run day-to-day commerce.In an exclusive interview with VentureBeat, Willem Avé, Block’s head of product at Square, described Managerbot as a decisive break from the company’s earlier Square AI assistant, which functioned as a reactive chatbot that answered seller questions about sales, employees, and business performance.”The big shift from Square AI to Managerbot is really from reactive to proactive,” Avé said. “What that means is the primary interface is not a question box. You assign tasks to Managerbot, and that could be based on data, an insight, or a signal from your business.”The product is beginning to roll out now, with full availability to Square sellers expected over the coming months. Block declined to say whether Managerbot would carry an additional fee or be bundled into existing Square subscriptions.How Managerbot predicts inventory shortages, optimizes schedules, and writes marketing campaigns on its ownAvé outlined three core domains where Managerbot operates today: inventory forecasting, employee shift scheduling, and automated marketing campaign creation. In every case, the agent acts before the seller does — watching over the business, detecting patterns, and surfacing recommendations with proposed actions attached.In the inventory domain, Managerbot continuously monitors a seller’s stock levels, sales velocity, and external signals such as weather patterns and local events, then alerts the seller when an item is about to run out — or when it should stock up ahead of anticipated demand. “In warmer weather, we can see that you sell more of a …
