User reviews spring (roll) to life as Yelp launches AI-generated restaurant videos using submitted pics

Yelp has launched AI-generated videos that automatically compile user-posted photos and videos into short promotional content about restaurants and businesses. The feature, now available nationwide on Yelp’s iOS app, uses multiple AI tools to create scripted voiceovers and captions that tell compelling stories based on user reviews, representing a significant shift toward automated content creation in local business discovery.

How it works: Yelp combines several AI technologies to create finished videos from user-generated content.

• OpenAI’s large language models write text descriptions and narrator scripts, organize story topics, and handle proofreading tasks.
• ElevenLabs generates the AI narrator’s voice, while Amazon Transcribe creates synchronized on-screen captions.
• The vertical videos blend together user photos and videos with AI-generated voiceovers discussing elements like food quality, cocktails, and restaurant ambiance.

What you should know: The AI video feature operates with limited user control and transparency mechanisms.

• Business operators cannot currently view the AI-generated videos created about their establishments.
• Yelp users have no option to opt out of having their photos or videos included in these AI-stitched compilations.
• Only one active AI-generated video exists per business at any given time, though videos are periodically refreshed.
• Videos are shown based on personalized signals, but the content itself is not personalized to individual users.

Content standards: Yelp will only create videos for businesses with sufficient user-generated content to support compelling narratives.

• “Yelp wants to make ‘as many videos as possible,'” CPO Craig Saldanha tells The Verge, but requires adequate reviews, photos, and videos first.
• The company conducts periodic audits “at scale” to monitor content quality and accuracy.
• Users and businesses can report problematic videos by tapping the three dots in the top right corner.

The bigger picture: This launch continues Yelp’s broader integration of AI features across its platform.

• The AI-stitched videos follow previous AI implementations including review summaries and review filters.
• The feature appears exclusively on the iOS app’s TikTok-style vertically scrolling home feed, indicating Yelp’s strategy to compete with social media platforms for user engagement.