Yelp has launched an AI-powered feature that allows users to scan physical restaurant menus with their smartphones and view dishes with overlaid photos and review snippets. The 'Menu Vision' feature uses the phone's camera to identify dishes, displaying user-uploaded photos and relevant reviews. This builds upon Yelp's existing AI assistant, expanding its scope to restaurants, bars, and other local businesses.
The updated Yelp Assistant can answer questions about a restaurant's cuisine, parking, and even the best times to avoid long waits. The AI pulls information from reviews, photos, business page content and websites to provide responses with supporting visual content. Yelp also introduced AI call-answering services for businesses, including Yelp Host for restaurants and Yelp Receptionist for other local businesses. These services aim to improve customer service and streamline operations for businesses.
Additional updates include natural language search capabilities and voice search for iOS users. Yelp's AI transformation combines large language models with user-generated content to enhance user experience and provide practical solutions for diners and businesses.
