“Ekniti” Opens “LINE MAN Wongnai Merchant AI Accelerator” Upskilling Over 100 Thai Restaurant Owners to Use AI in Real Business
Dr. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, joined the opening of the “LINE MAN Wongnai Merchant AI Accelerator,” a seminar designed to help restaurant owners build AI skills and apply technology to their businesses, supporting Thailand’s economy in keeping pace with global changes. Yod Chinsupakul, CEO of LINE MAN Wongnai, presented the results of government programs implemented through digital platforms. At the event, LINE MAN Wongnai also introduced “Wongnai Genie,” an AI assistant for restaurants. More than 100 restaurant owners joined the seminar to learn how AI can be applied to real business operations. Dr. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, said, “The Ministry of Finance aims to use technology as an important tool to create economic opportunities and distribute income to businesses at all levels, especially SMEs and small merchants, which are an important foundation of the Thai economy. The ‘Thais Help Thais Plus’ program is an example of how the government can work with digital platforms to make support measures reach businesses quickly, widely, and continuously.” Yod Chinsupakul, Chief Executive Officer of LINE MAN Wongnai, said, “Connecting government programs with technology platforms can turn short-term support into sustainable growth. This can be clearly seen through the ‘Thais Help Thais Plus’ program, where LINE MAN ranked No. 1 in merchant participation, with more than 59,000 merchants joining through the platform. The program helped distribute more than THB 2.57 billion in government subsidies through 16 million LINE MAN orders to small merchants across all 77 provinces and 266 districts nationwide. The results show how government programs combined with technology can help merchants in three key areas: These three areas show that connecting government programs with technology creates benefits beyond short-term sales. It helps small businesses build growing income, manage their operations more systematically, and gain access to funding for business expansion. With support from both the public and private sectors in upskilling and reskilling, small merchants can strengthen their capabilities, compete more effectively, and grow over the long term. When this approach is expanded on a larger scale, it can support Thailand’s grassroots economy and contribute to the country’s overall economic growth.” Dr. Ekniti and the executive team also visited activity booths and digital technology training sessions for merchants. They met restaurant owners who participated in the “Thai Chuay Thai Plus” program and have successfully used technology to grow their businesses, including “Tom Yum Yua by Botan” and the legendary “Prajak Roasted Duck.” The event also featured a practical discussion titled “Upskilling Modern Restaurant Owners: Using AI and Technology to Drive Profit.” The session was led by Ekaluck Viriyakovithya, Managing Director of Merchant Digital Solutions, LINE MAN Wongnai, together with Kan–Atthakorn Rattanarom, Co-Founder and CEO of BEARHOUSE, and Ku–Kunapong Techavoraprasert owner of the “Khai Dee Pai Duay Kan” page and “Hom Mun Khao Man Gai” restaurant. The speakers shared their real business experiences in using data and AI, followed by a workshop for more than 100 restaurant owners. The workshop focused on upskilling and reskilling merchants to use AI and POS data to analyze their businesses, plan sales and marketing, improve restaurant management, and create new opportunities for business growth. Introducing “Wongnai Genie,” an AI Assistant for Restaurants Developed by Thais, for Thai Businesses Another key highlight of the event was the introduction of “Wongnai Genie,” an AI assistant for restaurants developed based on LINE MAN Wongnai’s understanding of Thai restaurant businesses and data within its ecosystem. Wongnai Genie works like a restaurant manager’s assistant that is available 24/7, helping restaurant owners understand and manage different areas of their businesses. For business overview, Wongnai Genie can bring together sales data, analyze costs and profits across different sales channels, and provide reports from the system. For customer and sales insights, it can help owners understand information such as best-selling menu items and peak customer periods. For restaurant planning, it can help plan staff shifts based on sales. It can also support sales growth and cost reduction by providing recommendations on promotions and cost management. These features help restaurant owners see a clearer picture of their businesses and make decisions more easily. Wongnai Genie is now being gradually rolled out to merchants using Wongnai POS, with access available through Wongnai POS Web Owner and the Wongnai POS Manager application. At the same time, LINE MAN Wongnai is developing more capabilities for Wongnai Genie. These include comparing business performance with similar restaurants, analyzing customer behavior through CRM data, and helping restaurants automatically manage menu items, prices, and promotions on Wongnai POS and LINE MAN. LINE MAN Wongnai aims to expand Wongnai Genie to more than 520,000 restaurants nationwide, helping more restaurant owners — including those that do not currently use a POS system — gain greater access to AI technology. *Based on total GMV generated by merchants on LINE MAN: “Thais Help Thais Plus” from June 15–September 18, 2026, compared with “Half-Half Plus” from November 7–December 31, 2025. **Based on average daily GMV following the end of the “Half-Half Plus” program, from January–May 2026. For press inquiries, please contactLINE MAN Wongnai’s Corporate Communication team: pr@lmwn.com
