Walmart's AI pricing tools spark debate on ethics and privacy
Walmart recently received patents for two new AI-powered pricing tools: one that updates online discounts automatically, and another that predicts demand and recommends prices for e-commerce platforms.
The company says these tools are there to help humans make better decisions, not to hand pricing over entirely to algorithms.
But as Walmart moves forward, lawmakers in a few states want to ban algorithm-driven pricing for groceries and everyday goods.
The challenge for Walmart
Walmart is also rolling out electronic shelf labels in all 4,600 US stores this year, making price changes super fast.
But not everyone's thrilled: some senators want limits on these digital tags, and unions are calling out what they see as "surveillance pricing."
For Walmart, the big challenge is finding the right balance between tech efficiency and respecting privacy and workers' rights, especially if new laws start chipping away at their tech advantage.