达美航空近日就其AI辅助动态定价模型引发的关注做出进一步解释。公司高管澄清，不存在基于个人数据对客户进行个性化定价的产品，并强调对歧视性或掠夺性定价零容忍。该AI技术由Fetcherr开发，旨在通过聚合数据增强现有定价流程，作为决策支持工具，为分析师提供洞察，并由人工进行微调，以应对竞争对手定价和整体购买趋势，从而在市场上找到最优价格，而非针对个体客户。目前，该技术正在评估中，且不与Fetcherr共享个人信息。

✈️ 达美航空的AI动态定价模型旨在优化整体市场定价，而非针对个人客户进行个性化定价。公司高管Peter Carter在致议员的信函中明确表示，没有使用、测试或计划使用任何基于个人数据对客户进行个性化定价的产品。

💡 该AI定价功能由Fetcherr公司开发，其主要作用是作为一种决策支持工具，为达美航空的分析师提供聚合数据分析和市场洞察。分析师会根据这些信息，并结合公司整体业务战略，对定价建议进行监督和微调。

📊 公司高管Glen Hauenstein曾将AI描述为“超级分析师”，能够实时响应市场变化。达美航空的解释将此能力定位为对竞争对手定价策略和整体购买趋势的响应，以确定市场最高可接受价格，而非利用个人数据进行价格歧视。

🔒 达美航空强调对歧视性或掠夺性定价持“零容忍”态度，并表示正在评估AI定价推荐功能。在与Fetcherr的合作中，公司承诺不共享任何个人信息，以确保用户隐私和公平定价。

Delta Air Lines is explaining more about its AI-assisted dynamic pricing model after coming under scrutiny for recent comments about the pricing.

In November, Delta president Glen Hauenstein said at an investor day that “we will have a price that’s available on that flight, on that time, to you, the individual.” However, responding to questions sent by lawmakers, EVP and chief external affairs officer Peter Carter says in a letter that “there is no fare product Delta has ever used, is testing or plans to use that targets customers with individualized prices based on personal data.” He also says that the company has “zero tolerance” for discriminatory or predatory pricing. 

As part of its latest earnings report, Hauenstein said that the company planned to deploy the technology, developed by a company called Fetcherr, to about 20 percent of its domestic network by the end of the year. 

“Our AI-powered pricing functionality is designed to enhance our existing fare pricing processes using aggregated data,” according to Carter. “This technology is a decision-support tool that simply provides informed insights for our analysts, who oversee and fine-tune the recommendations to ensure they are consistent with our business strategy.”

In his comments to investors and analysts last year, Hauenstein said the AI was taking on the role of a “super analyst,” responding to changes in real time. The company’s statement today frames that more explicitly as responding to competitors pricing and overall buying trends, in an attempt to find the highest price for a market as opposed to an individual customer.

Carter says that Delta is “evaluating” the “AI pricing recommendation functionality” and that it does not share personal information with Fetcherr. 

Carter’s letter was replying to one from Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who wrote to Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressing concerns about the technology in July. Reps. Greg Casar (D-TX) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) have also introduced the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act, which would ban companies from using AI to “set prices or wages based on Americans’ personal data.”