Latest news with #RileyWalz
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
AI map blasted for ranking restaurants with attractive customers
A new interactive map claiming to rank the 'hottest' customers at thousands of restaurants in New York City is facing backlash. The project — created by 22-year-old San Francisco-based programmer Riley Walz — uses AI to analyze millions of Google Maps reviews and assign attractiveness scores to diners. His website, LooksMapping, aims to reflect what he calls society's own superficial habits. In his latest project, titled 'Finding Which Restaurants the Hottest People Go To,' Walz processed around 2.8 million reviews from 9,834 restaurants across NYC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The data powers a heat map that highlights venues based on the perceived attractiveness of their patrons — sparking controversy over its premise and ethics. Now, the 'official' results for the Big Apple are in. Urbani Midtown takes the top spot, ranked as the restaurant with the most consistently 'hot' diners. At the other end of the scale, Jimbo's Hamburger Palace in Harlem came in last, labeled as attracting the 'least hot' foodies. While the rankings may seem shallow, the site isn't just a beauty scorecard. Instead, it aims to reflect how society — especially in major cities — assigns value based on appearances. 'The model is certainly biased. It's certainly flawed,' Walz himself wrote on the website. 'But we judge places by the people who go there. We always have. And are we not flawed?' he added. 'This website just puts reductive numbers on the superficial calculations we make every day. A mirror held up to our collective vanity.' The one-dimensional interactive map spans the entirety of New York City's grid, displaying thousands of color-coded pins strategically placed across the city's vast network of restaurants. It uses a scale from 1 to 10 - with 1 representing eateries frequented by the 'least hot' diners, marked in shades of blue, and 10 representing those with the 'hottest' patrons, highlighted in firetruck red. By clicking on any of the pins, users can view a restaurant's rating along with three additional metrics: a scale indicating how 'hot' its diners were ranked, an age range distribution of patrons and a gender breakdown showing whether the crowd skews more male or female. But it raises an important question: how exactly was it determined who qualifies as 'hot' or 'not'? Walz used a computer model to scrape 2.8 million Google Maps reviews, isolating reviewers whose profile photos featured a detectable face - 587,000 profile images from 1.5 million unique accounts in total, as reported by The New York Times. Those profile photos were then analyzed using a set of descriptive phrases designed to assess attractiveness, as well as age and gender. The phrases included: She is attractive and beautiful, he is attractive and handsome, she is unattractive and ugly, he is unattractive and ugly, a young person and an old person. Relative attractiveness scores were then calculated for each reviewer, though Walz confessed to the NYT that 'the way it scored attractiveness was admittedly a bit janky'. The AI model appeared to favor superficial or arbitrary details when gauging attractiveness - for example, a profile photo of someone in a wedding dress might be rated as 'hot', while a slightly blurry image could result in a lower score. 'The model isn't just looking at the face,' Walz told the NYT. 'It's picking up on other visual cues, too.' According to the data, the top five Manhattan restaurants with the 'hottest' diners -each earning a perfect 10/10 - are Urbani Midtown in Midtown East, Shinn WEST in Hell's Kitchen, KYU NYC in NoHo, Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen in the Financial District and Thai 55 Carmine in the West Village. Urbani Midtown describes itself as offering 'the best Georgian food in a casual and friendly atmosphere that will make you feel like you are eating in Georgia', according to its website.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Flawed' AI map is blasted for ranking NYC restaurants with the 'hottest' customers
A new map ranking the 'hottest' customers across thousands of restaurants in New York City has come under fire. Riley Walz, a 22-year-old computer programmer based in San Francisco, is the creator of the controversial LooksMapping - a website that uses artificial intelligence to collect data and generate maps designed to reflect society's own superficial tendencies. In his latest project, titled 'Finding Which Restaurants the Hottest People Go To,' Walz analyzed roughly 2.8 million Google Maps reviews from 9,834 restaurants across NYC, Los Angeles and San Francisco - feeding the data into an interactive digital heat map that ranks venues based on the perceived attractiveness of their customers. Now, the 'official' results are in for the Big Apple: Urbani Midtown topped the list as the restaurant with the most consistently 'hot' diners, while Jimbo's Hamburger Palace in Harlem ranked lowest, labeled as attracting the 'least hot' foodies. Though the results may appear superficial, the website isn't intended to serve merely as a beauty scorecard. Instead, it aims to highlight how society - particularly in major cities - places value on appearances. 'The model is certainly biased. It's certainly flawed,' Walz himself wrote on the website. 'But we judge places by the people who go there. We always have. And are we not flawed?' he added. 'This website just puts reductive numbers on the superficial calculations we make every day. A mirror held up to our collective vanity.' In his latest project, titled 'Finding Which Restaurants the Hottest People Go To,' Walz analyzed roughly 2.8 million Google Maps reviews from 9,834 restaurants across NYC, Los Angeles and San Francisco - feeding the data into an interactive digital heat map that ranks venues based on the perceived attractiveness of their customers (pictured: results) The one-dimensional interactive map spans the entirety of New York City's grid, displaying thousands of color-coded pins strategically placed across the city's vast network of restaurants. It uses a scale from 1 to 10 - with 1 representing eateries frequented by the 'least hot' diners, marked in shades of blue, and 10 representing those with the 'hottest' patrons, highlighted in firetruck red. By clicking on any of the pins, users can view a restaurant's rating along with three additional metrics: a scale indicating how 'hot' its diners were ranked, an age range distribution of patrons and a gender breakdown showing whether the crowd skews more male or female. But it raises an important question: how exactly was it determined who qualifies as 'hot' or 'not'? Walz used a computer model to scrape 2.8 million Google Maps reviews, isolating reviewers whose profile photos featured a detectable face - 587,000 profile images from 1.5 million unique accounts in total, as reported by The New York Times. Those profile photos were then analyzed using a set of descriptive phrases designed to assess attractiveness, as well as age and gender. The phrases included: She is attractive and beautiful, he is attractive and handsome, she is unattractive and ugly, he is unattractive and ugly, a young person and an old person. Relative attractiveness scores were then calculated for each reviewer, though Walz confessed to the NYT that 'the way it scored attractiveness was admittedly a bit janky'. The AI model appeared to favor superficial or arbitrary details when gauging attractiveness - for example, a profile photo of someone in a wedding dress might be rated as 'hot', while a slightly blurry image could result in a lower score. 'The model isn't just looking at the face,' Walz told the NYT. 'It's picking up on other visual cues, too.' According to the data, the top five Manhattan restaurants with the 'hottest' diners -each earning a perfect 10/10 - are Urbani Midtown in Midtown East, Shinn WEST in Hell's Kitchen, KYU NYC in NoHo, Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen in the Financial District and Thai 55 Carmine in the West Village. Urbani Midtown describes itself as offering 'the best Georgian food in a casual and friendly atmosphere that will make you feel like you are eating in Georgia', according to its website. 'At our restaurant, we pride ourselves on serving authentic Georgian dishes using fresh ingredients, time-honored recipes and a commitment to excellence,' the site reads. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the five New York City eateries ranked as having the 'least hot' diners were Jimbo's Hamburger in Harlem, Hop Won Express in Midtown East, Cocotazo in East Harlem, Malone's Irish Bar & Restaurant in Midtown East and Michael's New York - also in Midtown East. Jimbo's Hamburgers describes itself as a spot that 'has everything', offering a wide range of options from breakfast items and burgers to sandwiches and salads, according to its website. 'Jimbo's! You already know the deal - delicious food, your way, every day. We don't say no to your requests; we make 'em happen!' the description reads. 'We might as well be a historical landmark now - and trust us, big things are coming that you don't want to miss. Let's keep the tradition alive and keep Harlem and Bronx tastes strong!' The results of the project also underscore broader concerns about the flaws in AI-powered models - including the potential for racial and cultural biases in how attractiveness is assessed. Berkeley-based food writer Soleil Ho was just one person who found flaws in the rankings - specifically across San Francisco, as reported by The New York Times. 'The algorithm seems to have a thing for Asians, and a bias against places that are Black-owned and/or in Black neighborhoods,' they said in email to the outlet. When Walz first shared the project on X, dozens of responses pointed to the 'red-to-blue gradient' across the city, arguing that the rankings appeared unfair and biased. The 'hot' diners, represented by red pins, are predominantly clustered in affluent, majority-white neighborhoods, while the pins turn blue - indicating lower attractiveness scores - as you move closer to the Bronx. 'It's making fun of AI,' Walz told the NYT. 'One of the ugliest restaurants is a country club.' Walz was also one of those previously behind Mehran's Steak House, a fake restaurant with a near-perfect Google rating that opened for one night in 2023.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Fliers with a mysterious cartoon are papering S.F. streets. We found out why
Cryptic fliers started appearing on San Francisco telephone poles this week, offering little more than a smiling cartoon figure, a website and a phone number to text. The analog approach to getting the word out marks the return of Pursuit, the city's favorite scavenger hunt. The 15 friends who designed the clues would prefer to remain anonymous, and that every element of the hunt be a surprise. But there is one thing organizers do want you to know: There's absolutely no catch. 'We don't have any ulterior motive here,' said Pursuit co-creator Riley Walz. 'It's family-friendly. It's totally free. We want people to have a good time, meet new friends, explore San Francisco and maybe visit a few (small) businesses along the way.' Walz is known to San Franciscans as the creator of the Bop Spotter, a Shazam-enabled solar-powered phone planted in the Mission District, auto-curating a Spotify playlist of a street corner's music. He was also part of a team of pranksters that created demand for an imaginary New York steak house with a flood of fake reviews, then made it real for a night. Pursuit is arguably the most ambitious project yet. Last year, the month-long game, with a few clues doled out per week, ended with more than 1,000 participants. Three hundred of them gathered to celebrate the scavenger hunt (and San Francisco) at Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park. Since March, the group has been thinking up a dozen or more clues for this year's hunt that require city exploration, a little problem-solving, and a lot of joy. There's no leaderboard, and everyone's a winner. (There's also no cash prize, as there allegedly was in an unrelated Reddit treasure hunt in May.) Organizers declined to disclose what surprises this year's Pursuit holds. Players are instructed to simply text 415-888-9518, and then wait until July 12. But last year was a blast, filled with city discoveries and creative flourishes that reflect the creators, many of whom work in tech. One clue was a simple YouTube livestream looking out of a second-story apartment window; players had to inspect the video to pick up clues — including one barely visible street sign — and find the location. 'It was funny, because as you were watching it, you could see the players ahead of you, looking at the camera, pointing and solving it in real time,' Walz said. 'It was also proof to us that people were actually doing this.' Another clue came from a series of working telephones planted in businesses, including a hamburger-shaped phone in Flippin Burger on Haight Street. And yet another involved a fill-in-the-blanks worksheet on Waverly Place, which led viewers a few blocks away to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. At that popular tourist spot, 500 cookies with special scavenger hunt-specific fortunes were waiting for contestants who asked for 'Percy.' (The group's name for the cartoon character in the fliers.) The cynicism-free event, Walz said, offers proof that San Francisco is still a very fun place. Over half of the businesses approached to participate, sometimes with very strange requests, were more than game. Organizers last year witnessed players gathering as the clues were distributed, making new friends, and patronizing nearby businesses. The meet-up in McLaren Park had the vibes of a happy reunion. The group's small budget is covered by anonymous sponsors, including hundreds of dollars to print physical fliers. New clues will drop every week, but they're not sequential, so players can set their own pace. Walz said the group will be excited to see the turnout, hoping to double last year's participation. Strong curiosity on Reddit should help get to 2,000 players or more. But ultimately he said Pursuit is about the journey, not any marketing goals or target numbers. 'I don't think this could really happen in many other places in the world,' Walz said, 'where you just put up fliers and get this whole almost cult-like horde of people that are trying to (complete) your puzzle.'
Time Out
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
This map will let you know where all the hotties are dining in NYC
In a city that ranks restaurants by everything from pasta shape to bathroom wallpaper, it was only a matter of time before someone asked the real question: But are the people hot? Enter LooksMapping, a new (and very online) interactive heat map that rates nearly 10,000 New York City restaurants not for their food or service—but for the supposed attractiveness of their diners. Created by 22-year-old San Franciscan coder and satirist Riley Walz, the project uses AI to comb through millions of Google Maps reviews and evaluate the profile photos of the reviewers, assigning each restaurant an average 'hotness' score from 1 to 10. Red pins mark hotspots with model-caliber clientele; blue ones, less so. Fanelli Cafe in SoHo? A certified downtown darling, but it only clocks in at 4.1. Meanwhile, Thai 55 in the West Village? Apparently crawling with 10s. Sound ridiculous? It is—and deliberately so. 'This website just puts reductive numbers on the superficial calculations we make every day,' the homepage reads. 'A mirror held up to our collective vanity.' Even Walz himself told the New York Times that it can be 'a bit janky,' noting the algorithm favors cues like clear photos and wedding dresses (hot) over blurry images (not). It's part satire, part social commentary—and fully going viral. Still, the map taps into a real NYC fixation: choosing restaurants not for the risotto but for the scene. Just ask the creators of viral TikTok series like Where Hot Guys Eat IRL or influencers who regularly post about the best restaurants to meet rich, eligible men. LooksMapping may be flawed, but it's also feeding a very modern appetite. The five highest-scoring NYC restaurants for 'hot' diners right now: Ubani Midtown (Midtown East) Shinn WEST (Hell's Kitchen) KYU NYC (NoHo) Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen (Financial District) Thai 55 Carmine (West Village) The five lowest-scoring NYC restaurants for 'hot' diners right now: Biases abound, from AI's racial skew to socioeconomic clustering. But as a reflection of the culture—and our shallow little hearts—it's oddly spot-on.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
These 5 NYC restaurants have the hottest patrons, controversial new AI ranking claims — and some top spots got seriously snubbed
Hot or not? A divisive new dining ranking — more interested in who's sitting at the table than what's on the menu — is raising eyebrows in New York's image-conscious restaurant world. Created by Gen Z programmer Riley Walz, LooksMapping scores hotspots in the Big Apple — and Los Angeles and San Francisco, too — based on AI-driven evaluations of the profile photos of patrons leaving Google Reviews. Advertisement 5 Restaurants and bars have always been prime ways for single people to link up — Gen Z's just trying to make it easier. CandyRetriever – After scraping countless amounts of data, the algorithm spits out an average score that supposedly represents the physical appeal of each eatery's clientele. And the results are, in some cases, a complete slap in the face. Advertisement Take Balthazar, Keith McNally's iconic Soho brasserie, for example, long considered one of the top NYC spots to see and be seen — there, the clientele ranked a somewhat pitiful 5.4 out of 10. Adding insult to injury in many cases, the site also dishes a detailed explanation of its findings — like which way age, gender and general physical beauty lean. Further downtown, for example, it's supposedly mostly unattractive, middle-aged men and women dining at The Odeon, a Tribeca spot with a dreadful 3.1 rating that appears to no longer play host to the 'It' crowd of artists and celebrities it once did. 5 'The model is certainly biased. It's certainly flawed. But we judge places by the people who go there,' the website reads. 'This website just puts reductive numbers on the superficial calculations we make every day. A mirror held up to our collective vanity.' Looks Mapping Advertisement And way up town at ultra-exclusive East Harlem Italian restaurant, Rao's, the elite crowd was handed a woeful 3.4 — suggesting, perhaps, that even AI models get jealous over not being able to snag one of the legendary spot's highly-coveted tables. Of course, it's not all bad news — fine-dining stalwart Jean-Georges is where hot-leaning, middle-aged men and women go, according to the tool, earning the quintessential French spot a 7.1 and a light, rosy-hued marker on the map. But even that crowd can't beat local institutions like Katz's Delicatessen, which managed to snag an 8.1 rating — suggesting the customers are as beautiful as the city's best pastrami sandwiches. 5 Balthazar is a legendary spot in the NYC food scene, and despite its apparently unattractive reviewers, it still proves tough to snag a reservation. Bloomberg via Getty Images Advertisement The top ratings in town, however, were reserved for a handful of relatively obscure options — from a Midtown sushi spot to a Thai restaurant in the Financial District. The NYC restaurants with the hottest patrons, according to AI Ubani Midtown: 10/10 Shinn West: 10/10 KYU NYC: 10/10 Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen: 10/10 Top Thai 55 Carmine: 10/10 Walz first shared news of the site's launch back in March, and a steady wave of AI-haters, driven developers and delighted daters on the prowl quickly flooded the replies. 5 Rao's was among the LooksMapping's lowest-ranked of the iconic NYC restaurants. Google Maps Many have pronounced the AI model flawed — even suggesting that it has a racial bias. On this subject, Walz told the New York Times, '[the project] is making fun of AI,' and admitted that the attractiveness ranking system was 'a bit janky.' For now, Manhattan and the Bronx are the only boroughs included on LooksMapping, but Walz, a native New Yorker currently based in San Francisco, 'knew people would rightfully give [him] crap' and is planning to add the other three soon, he assured eager diners in a post on X. The release of the talked-about tool comes as younger diners are increasingly concerned with customer attractiveness. Advertisement With limited budgets and time on their hands, young and single New Yorkers want to go where they might score. 5 Admittedly, clientele can be considered a part of a restaurant's atmosphere, which, for many, is a key factor in deciding to make a reservation. bobex73 – On TikTok, a new trend has taken hold among women in their 20s that clearly demonstrates a demand for sites like LooksMapping. Advertisement Ahead of going out for the evening or as a deciding factor, these ladies are calling the restaurants and bars they're interested in going to and asking the staff whether the current crop of patrons is hot. 'As a hostess, I take my job of vibe checking very seriously and am always happy to keep the girls updated #womensupportingwomen,' wrote one understanding commenter.
