Delta has a long-term strategy to boost its profitability by moving away from set fares and toward individualized pricing using AI. The pilot program, which uses AI for 3% of fares, has so far been “amazingly favorable,” the airline said. Privacy advocates fear this will lead to price-gouging, with one consumer advocate comparing the tactic to “hacking our brains.”
So what’s the trick to get a cheap price?
This isn’t the first time a company has used this approach. Apple users will always pay (be charged) more. I suspect the same is true for mobile users vs desktop.
But with AI being applied, there will be a TON of variables, just like your car insurance. You probably won’t even be able to identify most of them. For instance, which ISP are you using? What time of the day are you shopping?
What else does your browser fingerprint say about you? What about when they link it to Facebook, even without your knowledge or consent? Will gay people (or women, or Mexicans, or any other group) pay more?
Drink alone in a basement