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

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

"The company launched an AI-powered assistant last year to help you connect with the right services by describing your problem. Yelp is now using similar technology to answer questions about other kinds of businesses, including a restaurant, bar, local attraction, and retailer. The assistant uses information from a business's page, website, reviews, and photos to provide answers. For instance, you can ask about the kinds of animals you might see at a zoo."

"Yelp is displaying pre-written questions on business pages based on frequently asked questions, so you don't have to type them out yourself. The company said that the assistant for services will now remember your preferences and give you tailored 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."

Yelp expanded its AI features to include an updated assistant that answers questions for restaurants, bars, local attractions, and retailers and can scan physical menus to describe dishes. The assistant pulls data from business pages, websites, reviews, and photos to generate responses and can answer specific queries such as animals at a zoo. Yelp displays pre-written frequently asked questions on business pages and the services assistant now remembers user preferences to offer tailored recommendations. Search now accepts natural-language typing and voice queries. Popular dishes, desserts, and top services are highlighted across more than 100 business categories.

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