Drivers Say Major Gas Stations Pumped Up Prices With AI In Explosive Lawsuit
California drivers sued several major gas stations Monday accusing them of using artificial intelligence to increase gas prices. BP, Walmart, 7-Eleven, Marathon Petroleum, Circle K, and several other gas stations face a…
California drivers sued several major gas stations Monday accusing them of using artificial intelligence to increase gas prices.
BP, Walmart, 7-Eleven, Marathon Petroleum, Circle K, and several other gas stations face a class-action lawsuit from drivers in the Golden State after allegedly using an AI tool to inflate fuel costs. The artificial intelligence uses data from competing gas stations to “coordinate high prices and wring more money from the pockets of consumers,” according to the suit.
The lawsuit, filed in a Sacrament0-based federal court, said that use of Kalibrate Fuel Pricing violated Assembly Bill 325, a California law that was meant to crack down on the algorithmic price fixing.
“We are reviewing the complaint and will respond appropriately to the Court,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
BP declined to comment to the DCNF. 7-Eleven, Marathon Petroleum and Circle K did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
“While families struggle to afford the commute to work, Defendants have conspired to put an end to competition, joining an AI-powered trust to ensure that no matter where a driver turns, the price for gasoline is artificially high,” the suit states.
California pays the highest gas prices in the United States with $5.56 per gallon, but the national average is $3.93, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA) as of Tuesday.