Yelp just released a substantial update to its app with more than 20 new features, and several of those tools have, wait for it, AI. The biggest new feature for regular users is the addition of automatically-written AI activity summaries, which Yelp says will help people find the perfect restaurant or service to meet their needs.
There are also new visuals for the home feed and a revamped search experience, which the company says will also help users find the perfect dinner spot. This home feed incorporates AI to deliver more relevant content to users and will also display images of nearby restaurants that match users' previous queries, in addition to videos posted by local businesses.
The AI craze extends to business users. The app now offers business owners “AI-powered smart budgets” to optimize ad spend. New data insights are also available for business owners, providing “valuable market and competitive insights.”
Yelp is expanding recognition functionality to encourage user engagement. Now users can earn official kudos by regularly reviewing certain types of food. You can win one of these coveted digital trophies by reviewing three restaurants offering the same type of cuisine in a year. You'll find these credentials in the Achievements section of the app.
The update is only available on iOS for now, but Yelp says an Android version will be released in the coming months. This is not the first time the service has waded into the AI wading pool. In April, the company announced to improve research.