https://www.ft.com/content/9de9fb80-cd23-11e6-864f-20dcb35cede2
Yet existing antitrust laws, premised on human intent and action, may be inadequate to prevent companies from abusing their market power in the digital era, some experts say.
Markets dominated by “robo-sellers,” or automated pricing bots, will not respond to the same incentives or operate according to the same rules as those managed by people.
These concerns suggest that the digital economy’s promise of lower prices and plentiful choice for consumers could evaporate. The rise of artificial intelligence and powerful algorithms may instead create more durable cartels that are able to maintain higher prices at consumers’ expense and in defiance of traditional enforcement regimes.
For now, most regulators see this as a future concern. But as pricing systems become ever more autonomous, aspiring monopolists like Mr Topkins eventually will not even need to speak to their competitors to fix prices. Computers will do the colluding for them, either by using the same algorithm or learning from their interactions with other machines — all without leaving behind trails of incriminating emails or voicemails.