Why Instacart Backtracked on an AI-Pricing Experiment
Big Take23 Joulu 2025

Why Instacart Backtracked on an AI-Pricing Experiment

This month, the think-tank the Groundwork Collaborative, Consumer Reports and the news nonprofit More Perfect Union released a report finding that Instacart had been using an AI tool to run algorithmic price experiments on shoppers around the country. As a result, shoppers were being charged different prices for the exact same items from the exact same stores.

At a time when inflation has driven grocery costs higher, the revelation that Instacart was charging some consumers more for the same goods struck a chord.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder speaks with Bloomberg’s antitrust reporter Leah Nylen and the Groundwork Collaborative executive director Lindsay Owens about the report’s findings and impact — and Instacart’s decision to end their experiment.

Read more: Instacart to Pay $60 Million to Settle FTC Consumer Protection Case

Hosted by: Sarah Holder; Produced by: Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Reported by: Leah Nylen; Edited by: Naomi Shavin and Aaron Edwards; Fact-checking by: Julia Press; Engineering by: Katie McMurran.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin. Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jaksot(832)

Even a US Blockade of Venezuela Isn’t Spiking Oil Prices

Even a US Blockade of Venezuela Isn’t Spiking Oil Prices

From OPEC powerhouses and US shale producers to countries like Guyana, global producers are drilling more oil and driving down prices. And with the potential for a ceasefire in Russia and pressure on ...

22 Joulu 202519min

Weekend Listen: Lynsey Addario Keeps Going Back to Photograph War

Weekend Listen: Lynsey Addario Keeps Going Back to Photograph War

Lynsey Addario’s life work means taking great risks to tell other people’s stories. She is a Pulitzer Prize winning war photographer who has been abducted twice while documenting conflicts from Afgha...

21 Joulu 202544min

Inside Disney and OpenAI’s Billion Dollar Deal

Inside Disney and OpenAI’s Billion Dollar Deal

As AI-generated images ping pong around the internet, the Walt Disney Company has been mostly playing defense, using litigation to protect its intellectual property. But last week, Disney announced a ...

19 Joulu 202519min

Truckers Are Aging Out. Who Will Replace Them?

Truckers Are Aging Out. Who Will Replace Them?

The trucking industry has long been dominated by older white men. But as those truckers steer toward retirement, who will replace them? On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder hits the road wi...

18 Joulu 202515min

 Many Cancer Drugs Don’t Extend Life

Many Cancer Drugs Don’t Extend Life

Treating cancer is a massive business. In 2024 alone, cancer treatments generated at least $200 billion in worldwide sales for the pharmaceutical industry, more than the obesity drug rush. But a Bloom...

17 Joulu 202519min

The $2 Billion Flood Control Scandal Rocking the Philippines

The $2 Billion Flood Control Scandal Rocking the Philippines

The Philippines is no stranger to typhoons, but this year’s storms exposed something far uglier: a vast corruption scandal. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Andr...

16 Joulu 202519min

Wait, Weren’t We Supposed to Have a Recession in 2025?

Wait, Weren’t We Supposed to Have a Recession in 2025?

All year, the jobs market, consumer sentiment, AI and inflation flashed warning signs about the economy — but 2025 managed to avoid a recession. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder talks wi...

15 Joulu 202518min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

aikalisa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
politiikan-puskaradio
tervo-halme
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
viisupodi
rss-podme-livebox
rss-asiastudio
otetaan-yhdet
the-ulkopolitist
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
linda-maria
rss-kalevi-sorsa-saation-podcast
rss-hyvaa-huomenta-bryssel
rss-merja-mahkan-rahat
rss-kuka-mina-olen
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset
rss-tekkipodi