McDonald's sued in the USA. Prices were set by artificial intelligence?

The lawsuit concerns almost 14,000. McDonald's restaurants in the United States - reports Reuters. According to the complainants, the company allegedly violated US antitrust laws by cooperating with independent franchisees to set product prices.

The authors of the lawsuit claim that algorithms trained on non-public data were used for this purpose. The system was to analyze information from millions of daily transactions and support pricing decisions on this basis.

"Independent companies must set their own prices," the lawsuit states.

McDonald's strongly denied the allegations. In a statement released Monday, the company described it as speculative and based on incomplete information.

"Artificial intelligence does not determine the price of a Big Mac or any other item on the menu," the chain emphasized.

The company assured that pricing decisions rest with franchisees. She also added that analytical tools and price recommendation systems are widely used in various industries.

A class action lawsuit could involve millions of customers

The lawsuit was filed by an Illinois resident. He wants to represent a group of potentially millions of McDonald's customers across the United States.

His attorney, Lark Turner, accused the company of using huge data resources and the franchise system to raise costs for consumers.

In recent years, a wave of similar class action lawsuits has emerged in the United States. They concern suspicions that companies used algorithms or artificial intelligence to illegally coordinate prices, among others. hotel rooms, apartments for rent and other products and services.