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Instacart shares plunge 11% on report that FTC is probing company over AI pricing tool
The FTC probes Instacart’s AI tool after a study found price differences up to 23% for identical groceries, raising questions about fairness in digital pricing.
- The FTC has issued a civil investigative demand to Instacart probing its AI pricing tool Eversight, Reuters reported December 17, 2025.
- A study found shoppers sometimes paid up to 23% more for identical groceries, with an average 7% cost difference across 437 shoppers in four cities, Groundwork Collaborative and others reported.
- The company notes Eversight allows retailers on Instacart to run AI price tests, which studies found to boost grocers' revenue by 1-3%.
- The agency cautioned that Instacart shares fell about 10% in after-hours trading, while the FTC said it was 'disturbed by what we have read in the press about Instacart’s alleged pricing practices'.
- Harvard Business School notes dynamic pricing is common on platforms like airlines, hotels and Uber, but policy and regulatory observers say AI-driven price testing of essentials raises concerns amid consumers facing high cost of living.
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SF-Based Instacart Now Under FTC Investigation Over Their AI Price-Adjusting Tool
A recent study found Instacart was charging some shoppers up to 23% more for the same items from the same stores in an AI experiment, and now the Federal Trade Commission is looking into the matter.Last week, Consumer Reports and a team of other advocacy groups published an investigation into an AI-based “dynamic pricing” tool being used by the shopping platform Instacart. That AI pricing tool was charging some customers as much as 23% more for …
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Total News Sources29
Leaning Left5Leaning Right4Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution36% Left, 36% Center
Bias Distribution
- 36% of the sources lean Left, 36% of the sources are Center
36% Center
L 36%
C 36%
R 28%
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