Lawsuit: AI price-fixing inflates state gas prices

[Auggie]

San Francisco Chronicle / June 25, 2026

Gasoline prices have soared nationwide since the U.S. launched a war on Iran, but they remain far higher in California than other states, a dollar or more per gallon. And one reason they’re not falling, according to a newly filed lawsuit, is a series of agreements by major gas dealers to use an artificial intelligence tool called Kalibrate to pump up their prices.

SNIP

Kalibrate operates nationwide and has contracts with most gasoline suppliers in California, the suit said.

It collects data on supplies and prices and then electronically resets each station’s prices.

Though station owners have the final say on their prices, the suit said, “Kalibrate boasts in its marketing materials that in practice its users surrender as much as 90% of their pricing decisions” to the company.

Link (paywall): https://eedition.sfchronicle.com/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=a66cbbdd-3cb2-4cca-a02c-3baafd4c036e&

According to the link, the lawsuit seeks damages for all affected drivers and an injunction against further use of the Kalibrate tool to set gas prices.

No info provided on who is filing suit. Link refers to "three customers."

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Oh boy, interstate price fixing without transparency of a free market

Somebody skimming profits

[LogDog75]

2. I only buy from two stations

The military base gas stations or Costco. The military bases their gas prices on the price Costco charges for Naval Base San Diego and Naval Air Station North Island. When I drive to Las Vegas, I usually fill up at the Costco in Victorville and I fill up at a Costco in Las Vegas for my return trip.