Gurunavi Launches New App to Find Suitable Eateries Nearby; Generative AI Introduces Restaurants Based on Age, Gender, Other Info

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:44 JST, January 22, 2025

Gurunavi Inc., an operator of restaurant information website, has launched an app called “UMAME!” that uses generative artificial intelligence to find restaurants. The AI suggests the best restaurants based on information such as the user’s gender, age and favorite food and drink items.

When users install the app, they register their information and then enter requests such as “Find an Italian restaurant nearby” via text or voice, and the app will suggest restaurants that closely match the user’s criteria from among the approximately 420,000 eateries listed on Rakuten Gurunavi.

“Users will be able to see new restaurants that they never thought of,” Akio Sugihara, the president of the company, said at a press conference on Monday. The current app is a trial version with an official version expected to be released this summer.