AI may not be up to the task of replacing Google Search just yet, but it can be useful in more specific contexts — including handling the drudgery that comes with performing everyday tasks, like scheduling meetings. That’s the premise behind the new startup, Skej, which offers an AI assistant you can loop into your […]
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The Kia EV3 — the new all-electric compact SUV revealed Thursday — illustrates a growing appetite among global automakers to bring generative AI into their vehicles. The automaker said the Kia EV3 will feature a new voice assistant that is built off ChatGPT, the text-generating AI chatbot developed by OpenAI. The Kia EV3, and its […]
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Opera’s in-browser AI product, called Aria, can now summarize text-based web pages on Android. The AI-powered web page summarizing tool quickly condenses news articles, blog posts or research papers in a short summary that typically fits in one screen.
The new feature, announced Monday, can help users quickly understand a topic and pinpoint the important details. To use it, visit any text-based web page and then tap the three dots in the top right corner of the Opera Android browser and select the “Summarize” option next to the Aria icon. A chat with Aria will then pop up with the requested summary in it.
To access the feature, update to the latest version of Opera for Android and log in to an Opera account, or sign up for a new one.
Aria launched last year and functions like any other AI search companion. The assistant has a chatbot-like interface that answers questions as an alternative to searching the web for answers.
Opera has been building out Aria since its launch and has been expanding its functionality through its AI Feature Drops Program, which enables users to get early access to additional AI features. Most recently, Opera updated Aria with the ability to generate images using Imagen2 by Google. It can also read text answers out loud.
Yelp announced a new AI-powered chatbot today for consumers that helps them connect with relevant businesses for their tasks. The company joins a long list of organizations leaning into AI chatbots as an assistive medium.
The company is rolling out the AI assistant on its iOS app under the “Projects” tab with plans to expand to Android later this year. Yelp said that the chatbot uses OpenAI’s large language models (LLMs) along with its own data to ask users queries about their problems and connect them with relevant professionals for the job.
Rather than using a traditional search box to look for different kinds of professionals for the problem, you can describe the issue directly into the chat interface.
The bot asks follow-up questions to gather more information along with your zip code to create a project. You will be able to see messages from professionals for their projects once the bot sends them information. You can respond to those conversations with a custom reply or use the app’s quick reply feature.
Image Credits: Yelp
The company is also introducing a new “Project Ideas” section to nudge you to start a new project that might involve you searching for services on Yelp. Some of the current suggestions include maintaining your home, installing new lighting in your home, and upgrading your outdoor space. Later in the summer, the company will make this feature more personalized with recommendations and checklists.
“AI enables us to transform the way people discover and connect with local businesses,” Craig Saldanha, Yelp’s chief product officer, said in a statement.
“Yelp Assistant is a game-changer for hiring service providers, alleviating friction for consumers in finding the right pro for their needs while providing pros with the information they need to evaluate and win jobs,” he added.
The company is not immediately thinking about leveraging AI chatbot experience for restaurant discovery.
“We’re working to understand how this type of natural language search could be used more frequently on our platform in the future to evaluate how best to meet this consumer need, including searching for restaurants & services,” Akhil Kuduvalli Ramesh, SVP of product at the company, told TechCrunch over email.
Along with making the bot available for consumers, the company is also launching an API so other sites can include an AI-powered bot for business discovery. Users visiting this third-party website can ask the chatbot for suggestions like “A vegan brunch place that is open this Saturday at 9 am” or “Suggest a good workout studio in Miami with a swimming pool.”
Yelp said that the bot will return relevant suggestions with information including Yelp ratings, price details, review highlights, photos, and AI-powered business summaries.
Image Credits: Yelp
Businesses can test out the new Fusion API with 30-day access. Currently, the API supports single-turn queries and responses, with support for multi-turn chat coming later this year.
Yelp already had a Fusion API for businesses like Amazon, Apple, Ford, and Mailchimp to integrate Yelp content into their products. The new release brings a conversational chatbot experience into the picture.
Yelp is also revamping its guest manager experience for more than 11,000 restaurants on its network. The new Guest Manager design allows restaurant operators to see cover flow for better staff utilization, look at real-time table status, and add notes for shift managers.
For customers, Yelp is rolling out waitlist updates with more accurate waiting times and text message updates for place-in-line status. Soon, the company will send texts to users with recommendations for dishes before they take their seats.
Image Credits: Yelp
The company is also revamping the Yelp Kiosk design so users can easily join the waitlist and check themselves into the restaurant.
In 2023, Yelp clocked a net revenue of $1.34 billion with a 12% growth year-on-year. After a $3 million decline in 2022, the company posted a 173% jump in net income by registering $99 million in profits. While Yelp stock has gained over 35% year-on-year, it is down roughly 12% year-to-date.
Brave announced on Wednesday that it’s bringing its AI assistant, called Leo, to iPhone and iPad users. The AI assistant allows people to ask questions, summarize pages, create content and more. The iOS rollout follows the launch of the AI assistant on Android and desktop.
The iOS launch of Leo brings voice-to-text capability, which isn’t available in the Android version of the AI assistant. With this feature, users can say things out loud and have it converted to text, getting rid of the need to type out queries or questions. Brave says this additional capability makes it easier to interact with the AI.
In addition to summarizing pages or videos, Leo can answer questions about content it reads, generate long-form written reports, translate or rewrite pages, create transcriptions of video or audio content, and write code. By giving access to a built-in AI assistant, Brave is hoping users won’t turn to ChatGPT or other similar services.
Leo includes access to Mixtral 8x7B, Anthropic’s Claude Instant and Meta’s Llama 2 13B. Brave set Mixtral 8x7B as the default LLM for Leo, but users have the option to select another LLMs or upgrade to Leo Premium for higher rate limits for $14.99 per month.
Brave isn’t the only browser company to launch an AI assistant; Opera launched an AI assistant called Aria last year. The product was built in collaboration with OpenAI and has a chatbot-like interface that lets people ask questions and receive instant responses.
Brave Leo for iOS is now available to all iOS users who have updated to version 1.63. To access Leo, open the browser, start typing in the address bar and then select “Ask Leo.” Leo is an opt-in feature and can be disabled via the app’s settings.
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