Retailers are using artificial-intelligence software to set optimal prices, testing textbook theories of competition. The regulators are starting to pay attention - “If professional poker players are having difficulty playing against an algorithm, imagine the difficulty a consumer might have,” said one former antitrust attorney.
Retailers are using artificial-intelligence software to set optimal prices, testing textbook theories of competition; antitrust officials worry such systems raise prices for consumers By Sam Schechner Updated May 8, 2017 6:41 p.m. ET ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands—One recent afternoon at a Shell-branded station on the outskirts of this Dutch city, the price of a gallon of unleaded gas started ticking higher, rising more than 3½ cents by closing time. A little later, a competing station 3 miles down the road raised its price about the same amount.
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