Artificial Intelligence & Collusion: When Computers Inhibit Competition by Ariel Ezrachi, Maurice E. Stucke :: SSRN

The development of self-learning and independent computers has long captured our imagination. The HAL 9000 computer, in the 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, for example, assured, "I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do." Machine learning raises many challenging legal and ethical questions as to the relationship between man and machine, humans' control -- or lack of it -- over machines, and accountability for machine activities. While these issues have long captivated our interest, few would envision the day when these developments (and the legal and ethical challenges raised by them) would become an antitrust issue. Sophisticated computers are central to the competitiveness of present and future markets. With the accelerating development of AI, they are set to change the competitive landscape and the nature of competitive restraints.