A US lawsuit says McDonald's AI pricing engine overcharged customers, as shops roll out AI markdowns and digital price labels

CNBC reports that a federal antitrust lawsuit filed this week alleges McDonald's uses an AI-powered pricing engine to set menu prices across US locations and overcharge customers. McDonald's denies using AI to decide what individual customers will pay and says it gives franchisees tools and recommendations. The article also covers grocers using AI to mark down food nearing its date, such as Kroger's FlashFood, and electronic shelf labels spreading across supermarkets in the US and UK. Experts warn that this makes more frequent and more personalised pricing easier.

• If a booking, shop or delivery tool changes your prices automatically, find out which inputs it uses and keep a written record of the rules you approved.
• Do not let any tool charge different customers different prices for the same thing without a reason you could explain to them in plain words.

Source: CNBC. This is our short summary of their reporting. The paragraphs marked "Our read" and the things to do are SeedFoundry's opinion. The summary is drafted with AI tools. Image: McDonald's, from its own announcement. How we source and credit