Yandex Maps now has an “Ideas” mode with personal recommendations

Russian company Yandex (MOEX: YNDX) introduced a new mode of operation of Yandex Maps called “Ideas” – they will give users personal recommendations. The technology will help select interesting places in the city based on previous user experience.

“Ideas” can be seen in the mobile application on the main screen; they are based on the user’s previous routes, his search history for organizations, reviews, and the preferences of similar users. “Ideas” will highlight places on the map that might be of interest to the user. The brighter the backlight area, the more recommendations there are. Currently, the service only recommends cafes, bars and restaurants, but in the future museums, parks, beauty salons and other places will appear. The company plans to develop a function for selecting a location based on the events that take place there.

Places on the map have a signature and photograph, the text is written by YandexGPT, where the neural network will try to explain why this establishment may be of interest to the user. The service can also remind you of a cafe that has not been visited for a long time. It is possible to sort recommendations by the functions “Eat”, “Snack” or “Drink”, after which you can refine your wishes and see the selections “Big Group”, “For Two”, as well as “Burgers”, “Sushi” or “Cocktails”.

Recommendations can also be seen in Stories format in the “Stream” section – they can be given reactions, which will improve the service’s algorithms. Currently, recommendations are available for Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, and the list of cities will be expanded in the future.

Evgeniy Fedunenko