Delta’s AI spying to “jack up” prices must be banned, lawmakers say
One week after Delta announced it is expanding a test using artificial intelligence to charge different prices based on customers' personal data-which critics fear could end cheap flights forever-Democratic lawmakers have moved to ban what they consider predatory surveillance pricing.
In a press release, Reps. Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) announced the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act. The law directly bans companies from using "surveillance-based" price or wage setting to increase their profit margins.
If passed, the law would allow anyone to sue companies found unfairly using AI, lawmakers explained in what's called a "one-sheet." That could mean charging customers higher prices-based on "how desperate a customer is for a product and the maximum amount a customer is willing to pay"-or paying employees lower wages-based on "their financial status, personal associations, and demographics."