Gas Stations Accused of Using AI to Inflate Prices in California

A group of California consumers claimed in a lawsuit that gas station owners including Walmart Inc., Marathon Petroleum Corp., BP Plc and 7-Eleven Inc. are using artificial intelligence to illegally manipulate pump prices in the state that already has the highest rates in the US.

The companies, which operate more than 1,700 filling stations across the state, are using an AI tool from Kalibrate Fuel Systems Ltd. that automatically adjusts prices based on confidential data at a time when gasoline topped $7 a gallon in some areas, according to the complaint filed Monday in federal court in Sacramento. ...