ChatGPT users asking for local business recommendations will now receive answers drawn from Yelp's review database. Yelp confirmed that it has signed a data licensing agreement with OpenAI, giving ChatGPT access to the company's reviews, photos, and business information.
Scope of the Agreement
The deal gives OpenAI access to 330 million cumulative user-generated reviews and more than 8 million business listings. ChatGPT will be able to include Yelp reviews, ratings, photos, and business details in responses to local queries, and Yelp branding and links will appear when OpenAI uses its content, although OpenAI controls how that experience is presented, Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman confirmed.
Yelp also plans to extend the integration by bringing its Request a Quote feature into ChatGPT, enabling users to contact participating merchants directly from AI-generated responses. That feature will let users contact local service providers for quotes, including requesting consultations and scheduling appointments, directly through ChatGPT.
Financial Terms and Exclusivity
Both companies declined to disclose the financial terms of the deal, which does not preclude Yelp from making similar deals with other AI companies. Stoppelman stated in the July 23 earnings release:
"We are also extending the reach of our trusted content to power local discovery across the AI ecosystem, and we recently signed an agreement with OpenAI."
Yelp posted record net revenue of $1.46 billion for 2025, and its "other revenue" category, which includes data licensing, grew 17% year-over-year.
Yelp's Distribution Strategy
The OpenAI agreement extends a content licensing model Yelp has built across multiple platforms. Consumers can already find licensed Yelp content on Amazon Alexa, Apple Maps, Microsoft Bing, Meta.ai, and Yahoo, among other platforms. Yelp has also stated it sees substantial opportunity to expand upon existing agreements and pursue new licensing deals within the AI ecosystem.
The relationship between the two companies is not entirely new: Yelp has been using OpenAI's models since at least April 2024 to power its own Yelp Assistant feature, a conversational AI tool for navigating local businesses.
Yelp's Prior Licensing History With Google
The OpenAI deal comes with a precedent that Stoppelman has not avoided discussing publicly. Yelp once licensed content to Google before the relationship deteriorated into years of conflict over Google's local-search practices. Yelp is now suing Google, alleging the company unfairly favoured its own local results.
Despite that history, Stoppelman has argued the distribution benefit outweighs the risk. Yelp sees value in distributing its content beyond its own properties when it benefits consumers, Stoppelman said.
Market Reaction
Yelp shares surged 8% Thursday following the announcement. The deal also signals that third-party data will play a bigger role in how AI platforms answer local queries, an area that has historically been a weakness for ChatGPT.
What This Means for Local Search Marketers
For businesses that rely on local search visibility, this agreement introduces ChatGPT as a functional new discovery channel alongside Google, Apple Maps, and directory platforms. Ratings, review volume, and the completeness of a Yelp business profile are likely to influence how a business appears in ChatGPT-generated local recommendations, consistent with how those signals affect ranking in other platforms that license Yelp data. The pending integration of Request a Quote within ChatGPT also adds a direct lead-generation pathway outside of traditional search interfaces, which may affect how local service businesses allocate their presence management efforts.
In Yelp's Q4 2025 prepared remarks, Stoppelman stated:
"We believe we are well positioned to be the essential partner providing trusted local content and enabling actions whenever consumers are making local decisions."
