Yelp’s AI assistant can now scan restaurant menus to show you what dishes look like

Yelp is releasing a series of AI-powered updates on Tuesday, including an updated AI assistant that can answer questions about restaurants, bars, local attractions or retailers. The assistant can scan a physical menu to provide information about the dish. Additionally, the company is improving search with natural language and voice query support and highlighting popular offers on business pages, including auto shops, hair salons, clothing stores and parks.

Company launched An AI-powered assistant Last year to help you connect with the right service by describing your problem. Yelp is now using similar technology to answer questions about other types of businesses, including restaurants, bars, local attractions and retailers. Assistant uses information from a business page, website, reviews and photos to provide answers. For example, you can ask about the kinds of animals you see at the zoo.

Yelp is displaying pre-written questions on business pages based on frequently asked questions, so you don’t have to type them yourself. The company says the services assistant will now remember your preferences and give you tailored recommendations for your next project.

The company is improving search by allowing users to type queries in everyday language directly into the search box. The app will support these conversational questions through voice search.

Until now, Yelp highlighted popular food and drinks on restaurant and bar pages The company will now also feature popular desserts on food outlet pages. Additionally, the company is expanding this feature to more than 100 business segments. Users will be able to see the top services offered by an outlet in a “Most Mentioned” section on each page – for example, popular haircuts or color treatments at the salon.

Yelp is adding another AI-powered feature that helps diners explore menu items. Using AI image recognition, users can scan a physical menu with their phone’s camera and overlay bubbles over different dishes will appear on the screen. Tap a bubble to see a photo of that dish and read what diners have to say about it.

With these new features, the company is making search more visual and conversational. In response to the rise of chat-style search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, established players like Google have added similar features. search And Map To help discover new places.

Earlier this year, the company previewed AI-powered voice agents for restaurants and service businesses. With its latest update, these tools are now available for businesses. The company’s AI hosts can take bookings, answer questions, handle special requests and change reservations for restaurants. Its AI receptionist for service businesses can gather project details, help qualify and send call summaries to businesses’ Yelp inboxes. Other companies eg square And what Also providing AI-powered voice solutions for restaurants and order management.

With this fall release, Yelp is also introducing several additional features: AI-generated videos that compile user photos and describe information about restaurants and bars; extended video upload (from 10 to 30 seconds); a new visual summary of restaurants and bars using photos and videos; grouping before-and-after photos for service businesses; And a new section for planning future projects.