Yelp saw net revenue rise 4% year-over-year last year to a record $1.46 billion, with net income of $146 million, the company said in February regulatory filings. Advertising from services businesses makes up the bulk of Yelp’s revenue, bringing in $948 million last year compared to $444 million for Yelp’s “restaurants, retail & other” category.

Although Yelp’s users have always been able to dive into its reservoir of 330 million local business reviews, they sometimes find themselves drowning in a sea of commentary from other people about restaurants, doctors, plumbers, roofers and a smorgasbord of other merchants — a problem the new chatbot assistant is designed to solve.