McDonald's is facing a federal antitrust lawsuit alleging it uses an AI-powered system to illegally coordinate menu prices across thousands of U.S. franchises. The proposed class-action suit, filed in Chicago, claims the pricing tool uses nonpublic sales data from supposedly competing restaurants to generate price recommendations.
The lawsuit alleges the practice limits competition among independent franchisees and unfairly raises prices for consumers.
McDonald's denies the allegations. The company says its AI tools are optional and do not automate or fix prices, and that franchisees have final authority over their menu prices.