Yahoo Japan Launches AI Restaurant Review Feature

TOKYO, Japan — LY Corporation said Thursday that it has deployed artificial intelligence to automatically summarize restaurant reviews for about 46,000 dining establishments across Japan via its Yahoo! Search platform.

The technology analyzes user reviews and generates up to three topic summaries that appear in search results, according to the company.

The feature covers cafes and restaurants nationwide and is available through Yahoo! JAPAN mobile applications and browser platforms.

A survey of 834 users conducted by the company from July 7 to 10 found that 60.3 percent reported difficulties finding relevant information due to the volume of reviews and outdated content when researching restaurants.

The AI system processes reviews posted within the past year and generates summaries of user experiences and restaurant characteristics, the company said.

Each summary displays the number of users discussing specific topics and includes related excerpts from reviews.

The feature is available only for establishments with a sufficient number of reviews and operates through iOS and Android applications, smartphone browsers, and web search within the LINE messaging platform.

The company said the development aligns with its mission to create platforms that address daily user challenges.

LY Corporation said it plans to expand Yahoo! Search capabilities for information gathering across other lifestyle categories.

The system uses OpenAI's application programming interface and operates under standard terms of use. The company said it does not guarantee the accuracy or reliability of AI-generated content.

The implementation affects approximately 46,000 establishments as of August 27, although the company noted that this figure may fluctuate.