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

Yelp will release several AI-powered updates on Tuesday, including an updated AI assistant that can answer questions about restaurants, bars, local attractions or retailers. The assistant can also scan the actual menu to provide information about the dishes. Additionally, the company is improving search by supporting natural language and voice queries, highlighting popular offers on business pages, including auto shops, hair salons, clothing stores and parks.

The company launched an AI assistant last year to help you connect with the right services by describing your issue. Yelp now uses similar technology to answer questions about other types of businesses, including restaurants, bars, local attractions and retail stores. The assistant uses information from a business’s page, website, reviews, and photos to provide answers. For example, you can ask what types of animals you might see at the zoo.

Yelp displays pre-written questions on business pages based on frequently asked questions, so you don’t have to write them yourself. The company said the Services Assistant will now remember your preferences and provide you with personalized recommendations for your next project.

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

So far, Yelp has highlighted popular dishes and drinks on its restaurant and bar pages. The company will now also display the popular sweets on its food outlet pages. Additionally, the company is expanding this feature to more than 100 business categories. Users will be able to see the best services the outlet offers in the “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 technology, users can scan the actual menu with their phone’s camera and overlaid bubbles will appear on the screen over different dishes. Click on a bubble to see photos of this dish and read what diners said about it.

With these new features, the company is working to make search more straightforward and conversational. In response to the rise of chat-style search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, established players like Google have also added features similar to search and maps to help discover new places.

Earlier this year, the company previewed AI-powered voice agents for restaurants and service companies. With the new update, these tools are now available for businesses. The company’s AI host can make reservations, answer questions, handle special requests, and change reservations for restaurants. An AI receptionist for service companies can collect project details, help qualify leads, and send call summaries to the company’s Yelp inbox. Other companies like Square and Kea also offer AI-powered voice solutions for restaurants and order management.

With this fall release, Yelp is also launching several additional features: AI-generated videos that collect user photos and tell information about restaurants and bars; Extended video uploads (10 to 30 seconds); New visual summary of restaurants and bars using photos and videos; Before and after collages for service companies; And a new section for planning future projects.