Inside McDonald’s push to have AI price your Big Mac

NEW YORK – McDonald’s is increasingly using artificial intelligence to guide menu prices across the U.S. and some global markets, a plan that aims to boost headquarters’ profit but risks alienating customers and attracting antitrust scrutiny. One pricing factor supercharged by AI: an estimate of how much each store’s patrons are willing to pay. The details of how that pricing system works, its extensive use of AI, the company’s regulatory concerns and the tensions with its franchisees haven’t been previously reported.

For this story, screenshots of the company pricing engine taken in August were reviewed, and nine sources with firsthand knowledge of the burger chain’s strategy were interviewed.