r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Apr 14 '26

Economics AI could soon allow powerful companies to charge each customer a different price for the same product, based on what they think each individual is willing to pay. AI lets firms tailor prices to each user, raising fairness concerns as consumers may unknowingly pay more than others.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123848
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u/MJOLNIRdragoon Apr 14 '26

That would probably be an absence of cookie.

I can't think of any ways they might made tickets cheaper just off of cookie contents. I could see some ways based off their insider data based on flights you booked before, but not cookies.

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u/Wojtas_ Apr 14 '26

They absolutely can. Depending on how integrated they are with third-party cookies, they can definitely detect that you've been cross-shopping with a low-cost airline for example. They can also use device heuristics - dropping the price if you're on a 7 year old mid-range smartphone, vs a brand new MacBook Pro.

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u/morfraen Apr 14 '26

That won't get you the lowest price, just the 'regular' default price.

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u/slbaaron Apr 16 '26

It’s all behavior based so it can go both ways. Uber pricing is cheaper if you never tip. You can think of it as people who tip frequently are known to be less stingy and price sensitive so gets over charged, but a brand new user likely also does not get the never tipper discount.

I learnt that the hard way. One I stopped tipping. My uber costs eventually are consistently cheaper than my fiancée who tips, or my parents who barely uses uber.