“Surge Pricing” in American grocery stores has arrived
Kroger partnered with Microsoft to introduce AI-powered technologies for personalized pricing
“Kroger just rolled out surge pricing using facial recognition technology:
– Determine the maximum price of goods customers are… pic.twitter.com/TokqKMGDK8
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) December 31, 2024
Kroger teaming up with Microsoft to roll out AI-powered pricing feels like a step too far. Facial recognition technology to decide how much you pay for groceries? It’s invasive, unfair, and frankly unsettling.
Imagine walking into your local Kroger, grabbing a loaf of bread, and realizing the price you see isn’t the same as the one the person next to you sees. Why? Because the system scanned your face, dug into your purchase history, and decided you could afford to pay more. This isn’t just creepy—it’s a recipe for discrimination.
Kroger says this tech is meant to help lower prices, but the potential for abuse is impossible to ignore. Adjusting prices based on things like race, income, or family size is a slippery slope that could worsen inequalities.
We can’t ignore the bigger picture here. Your grocery store shouldn’t feel like a surveillance hub, and your face definitely shouldn’t decide your bill. If this is the future of shopping, it’s a future that needs serious safeguards—or better yet, a hard stop.
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