Yelp Inc. released its 2025 Trust & Safety Report on February 25, 2026, detailing the company’s efforts to safeguard the integrity of its review platform. The report shows that Yelp’s automated systems identified and filtered out nearly 500,000 suspected AI‑generated reviews in 2025, a figure that underscores the growing prevalence of synthetic content on the site.
The report also reports a 138% increase in user‑account closures compared with 2024, with over 1.3 million accounts shut for violating the Terms of Service. The spike reflects a broader crackdown on coordinated review manipulation and other policy violations, including scams that have targeted consumers through Yelp’s platform.
Media‑attention alerts placed on business pages rose 58% year‑over‑year, indicating a higher volume of viral incidents and social‑media amplification that Yelp must monitor to protect business reputations and consumer trust.
Yelp’s Trust & Safety team highlighted the launch of new AI‑powered detection technologies designed to identify and mitigate AI‑generated content before it reaches consumers. While the report does not detail the specific algorithms, the initiative signals a continued investment in machine‑learning tools to complement human review of incentivized and compensated reviews across Yelp and other sites.
The company’s Services‑led revenue engine grew 2.9% year‑over‑year in 2025, driven by increased demand for advertising and data‑analytics solutions that leverage Yelp’s AI capabilities. In contrast, the Restaurants, Retail & Other (RR&O) segment experienced an 11.6% decline, reflecting macroeconomic headwinds that have pressured traditional local‑business categories.
Noorie Malik, vice president of User Operations, said, “As technology rapidly evolves—from the rise of AI‑generated content to increasingly sophisticated tactics by bad actors—maintaining consumer trust is more vital than ever.” She added that Yelp’s focus on rigorous content policies and new detection mechanisms is central to the company’s strategy to protect both consumers and advertisers.
The Trust & Safety report is part of a broader AI transformation that includes the acquisition of Hatch in January 2026 and the launch of features such as Yelp Assistant and Menu Vision. Together, these initiatives aim to enhance user experience while reinforcing Yelp’s competitive advantage in a market where authentic reviews remain a key differentiator.
Overall, the report demonstrates Yelp’s proactive stance against AI‑generated reviews and other content abuses, while highlighting the continued growth of its Services segment amid challenges in the RR&O business. The company’s investment in AI‑driven safety tools and its focus on human‑generated review quality are positioned to sustain consumer trust and advertiser confidence moving forward.
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