McDonald's faces U.S. class-action lawsuit alleging AI-driven price coordination

McDonald's is named in a proposed nationwide class-action lawsuit filed in Chicago federal court, alleging the company used an AI pricing system to illegally coordinate menu prices with franchisees, violating U.S. antitrust law. The lawsuit claims the system used non-public data to manipulate prices, while McDonald's denies the allegations, stating franchisees retain pricing authority and AI tools are industry-standard.

Why it matters. The case highlights growing legal scrutiny over algorithmic pricing practices in the fast-food industry and could set a precedent for how AI-driven pricing tools are regulated under antitrust law.