Consumers lean on AI tools to find and review restaurants

Operators are directed to harness AI to hear consumer voices.

AI tools like ChatGPT have already become a mainstream source of information about hospitality venues, with their usage nearly on par with Google Maps, new research from Reputation and CGA by NIQ reveals.

26% of British consumers use AI tools to research restaurants—almost matching Google Maps (27%) and close behind social media (32%).

Three in five (60%) already trust AI-generated review summaries that distil sentiment from high volumes of feedback, and 13% trust these digests more than individual posts. Meanwhile, half (51%) say they would be likely to leave a review if an AI tool asked them in the right tone and at the right moment. Other insights from the research include:

Meanwhile, more than two in five (43%) consumers have interacted with chatbots when contacting a venue or ordering

AI is personalising the discovery process, with more than a third (37%) of guests already using an AI tool to obtain recommendations tailored to preferences

There are concerns about negative impacts, with 39% worried about AI’s potential overriding of personal contact and 33% concerned about privacy and security issues.

“Operators need to adapt quickly to this new age of personalisation, and harness AI to improve their ability to hear consumer voices, understand what they need, and take actions that make those consumers feel heard,” Anthony Gaskell, managing director, EMEA at Reputation, said.