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Artificial intelligence, algorithmic pricing and collusion

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  • Calzolari, Giacomo
  • Calvano, Emilio
  • Denicolo, Vincenzo
  • Pastorello, Sergio

Abstract

Increasingly, pricing algorithms are supplanting human decision making in real marketplaces. To inform the competition policy debate on the possible consequences of this development, we experiment with pricing algorithms powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in controlled environments (computer simulations), studying the interaction among a number of Q-learning algorithms in a workhorse oligopoly model of price competition with Logit demand and constant marginal costs. In this setting the algorithms consistently learn to charge supra-competitive prices, without communicating with one another. The high prices are sustained by classical collusive strategies with a finite phase of punishment followed by a gradual return to cooperation. This finding is robust to asymmetries in cost or demand and to changes in the number of players.

Suggested Citation

  • Calzolari, Giacomo & Calvano, Emilio & Denicolo, Vincenzo & Pastorello, Sergio, 2018. "Artificial intelligence, algorithmic pricing and collusion," CEPR Discussion Papers 13405, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:13405
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Artificial intelligence; Pricing-algorithms; Collusion; Reinforcement learning; Q-learning;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L41 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Monopolization; Horizontal Anticompetitive Practices
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness

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