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Yelp’s updated AI assistant can answer questions and book a restaurant or service in one conversation
For years, existing consumer platforms have tried to keep users within their app by offering more services. After the rise of the AI chatbot, the trend is to have people use the assistant for both queries and actions without leaving the conversational flow. With its latest update, Yelp is letting people ask questions, get restaurant reservations, order food delivery, and book service professionals, all through its updated AI assistant.
The company debuted the AI assistant in 2024 to help people search for different services based on their problem. It is now using the platform data paired with an AI assistant to let users do more tasks.
In a demo seen by TechCrunch, the company’s SVP of product, Akhil Kuduvalli Ramesh, searched for hiking places to go with a dog without a leash; looked for takeout places along the way, with an option to place an order on Doordash; looked for restaurant recommendations for a weekend plan, with an option to check out availability and book a table; and queried about painting a friends’ new Victorian house without leaving the chat.
“We would really like consumers to reconceive Yelp as a place where they can ask questions and get answers, not just that, but also complete the action. That’s Yelp reconceiving from a review platform to an answers and action platform,” he told TechCrunch over a call. “Some of the investments we’re making will be in that lane.”
Users can select a specific page for a restaurant or service when they tap on it, or ask more questions about the business. Yelp said that as the knowledge is grounded in details of the business on the platform, the business’s website, and user reviews, there is a scant chance of getting wrong answers.
The company is hosting the assistant in a new tab in the app, which is now placed in the center of the bottom navigation bar, so users are likely to visit it more often. The assistant will be available on iOS and Android at launch and will work with eligible business pages, including restaurants, retail shops, and attractions. The company said that the desktop version and rollout across all kinds of businesses are slated for later in the year.
Apart from fetching information, Yelp also announced integration with external providers to complete an action, like place an order or appointment. Users can now order food through DoorDash and Grubhub, book fitness or beauty appointments through Vagaro, a doctor’s appointment through ZocDoc, and a car repair through Repairpal. Plus, it also offers a Calendly integration for other kinds of businesses that allow appointment booking.
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Notably, all these actions will lead you to a specific provider’s app or page, meaning this is not “agentic” in nature, where the entire transaction is completed within the chat window. Kuduvalli mentioned that while the redirections are the way Yelp is set up now, it might not “remain that way” in the future.
However, it’s hard to say how agentic pipelines might work with other services for cases when the user doesn’t specify whether they want to order food through DoorDash or Grubhub.
Besides the new AI assistant, Yelp is rolling out a few quality-of-life updates to the app. Last year, it launched the ability for people to scan a menu and see what dishes look like through photos other users posted. Now, users can look at those dishes within the app as they are scanning a menu.
What’s more, Yelp said that users will be able to search the media gallery of a business using natural language queries instead of keywords. Plus, the company will offer an AI-powered tagging and grouping feature for before and after photos to business owners to avoid manual work.
Former Nigeria U17 international Adewale Quadri, popularly known as “Ostilo” among teammates and close friends, has officially commenced trials with Turkish giants Beşiktaş J.K. youth team.
The highly-rated Nigerian youngster is currently being evaluated by the Istanbul-based club as he continues his pursuit of a breakthrough opportunity in European football.
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Sources close to the player indicate that Quadri has already begun making positive impressions during the trial period with his performances, attitude, and work ethic attracting attention within the club setup.
The talented prospect has reportedly shown strong determination, technical ability, maturity on the ball, and attacking quality during training sessions and evaluation matches.
Known for his confidence, creativity, and energetic style of play, the former Nigeria U17 player continues to strengthen his reputation as one of the exciting young Nigerian talents aiming to establish themselves abroad.
Beşiktaş—popularly known as the Kara Kartallar (Black Eagles)—remain one of the biggest and most historic clubs in Turkish football, making the opportunity another important milestone in Quadri’s young career.
Football followers and supporters close to the player remain hopeful that the talented Nigerian can successfully complete the process and secure a permanent place within the club’s development system.
For Adewale Quadri, the trial represents another major step toward achieving his European football dream while proudly representing Nigeria on the international stage.
As the evaluations continue in Turkey, many will now be eagerly waiting for positive news regarding the future of the promising youngster known as “Ostilo.”
Business
FAAN announces additional health screening measures, enhanced Ebola surveillance at Nigerian airports
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has assured travellers and other airport users that enhanced health surveillance measures have been activated across the country’s international airports following renewed Ebola concerns in parts of Central Africa.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, FAAN said the measures were introduced in collaboration with Port Health Services, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and other relevant agencies to strengthen preparedness and prevent possible health risks.
According to the authority, surveillance and passenger monitoring have been intensified, particularly for travellers arriving from high-risk regions.
“Passengers are being screened for symptoms associated with Ebola, and any suspected case will be promptly isolated and subjected to secondary health checks in line with established national and international health protocols,” the statement said.
FAAN noted that additional emergency response procedures have also been reinforced while airport personnel have undergone increased sensitisation as part of precautionary efforts.
The authority stressed that there is currently no confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria but said it remains vigilant in safeguarding public health and ensuring safe airport operations.
“FAAN remains vigilant and fully committed to safeguarding public health and maintaining safe airport operations,” the agency stated.
READ ALSO: FAAN nabs four unauthorised persons at Akure airport
Passengers were also advised to remain calm, cooperate with health screening procedures and report any symptoms to health officials at the airports.
The development comes as health authorities across parts of Africa continue to monitor Ebola-related concerns and strengthen border surveillance to prevent cross-border transmission.
Nigeria’s aviation and health authorities have previously activated similar emergency screening measures during periods of global and regional disease outbreaks, including the COVID-19 pandemic and earlier Ebola scares.
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