McDonald’s sued over AI tool that recommends prices to US franchisees

McDonald’s is facing a federal lawsuit that alleges its AI-enhanced pricing tool violates anti-trust laws because it shares non-public data with franchisees who might be competing in the same market. The lawsuit, which was filed on Friday in Illinois, said McDonald’s pricing tool uses artificial intelligence (AI) to collect data that competing franchises wouldn’t normally share, like store-level sales. The Chicago-based burger giant has said it makes the tool available to US franchisees to help them set prices at their individual restaurants.