{"id":4816,"date":"2026-06-30T05:34:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T05:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=4816"},"modified":"2026-06-30T05:34:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T05:34:48","slug":"ai-is-helping-gas-stations-collude-to-raise-california-fuel-prices-lawsuit-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=4816","title":{"rendered":"AI is helping gas stations collude to raise California fuel prices, lawsuit says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n article<\/span><\/div>

FILE-High gas prices are displayed at a Chevron gas station on May 11, 2026 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Mario Tama\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>

Read more Hyundai recalls 96K Tucson SUVs as dashboards may go blank<\/a><\/p>

Expand<\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>

A federal lawsuit alleges that AI software has permitted gas station operators in California to unlawfully collude and raise prices at the pump.\u00a0<\/p>

A proposed class action lawsuit obtained by The Associated Press claims that gas station companies including Marathon and Circle K have violated California\u2019s antitrust law through Kalibrate, a fuel-pricing software system used across the world.\u00a0<\/p>

RELATED:<\/strong>\u00a0Newsom warns Californians to avoid Chevron over high gas prices<\/u><\/strong><\/p>

<\/div>

Kalibrate is also accused in the lawsuit of collusion tied to claims of price-fixing conducted through AI.<\/p>

Citing the lawsuit, the AP reported that research into algorithmic fuel-pricing software determined that average gas price increases were roughly 6 cents per gallon, increasing to as much as 30 cents per gallon in markets where stations use the technology.\u00a0<\/p>

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RELATED:<\/strong>\u00a0Here’s where gas prices are highest and lowest in the US<\/u><\/strong><\/p>

Worries over algorithmic pricing led to California Gov. Gavin Newsom signing a bill in 2026 saying that state antitrust laws pertain to pricing algorithms.\u00a0<\/p>

Defendants in the lawsuit, including BP, Speedway, EG America, Walmart and Albertsons, operate over 1,700 gas stations in California.<\/p>

According to the AP, this recent lawsuit seeks to represent California drivers who purchased gas at local stations using Kalibrate software since June 2022.<\/p>

What are the current gas prices in California?<\/h2>

By the numbers:<\/p>

As of Monday, the average gas price in California<\/u> is $5.45 per gallon, according to AAA.<\/p>

Read more Brandon Fourth of July parade changes locations due to pipeline construction<\/a><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A lawsuit accuses California gas station operators of using artificial intelligence software to illegally coordinate and drive up prices at the pump.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,40,27],"tags":[52,42,29],"class_list":["post-4816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-california","category-consumer","category-economy","tag-california","tag-consumer","tag-economy"],"yoast_head":"\nAI is helping gas stations collude to raise California fuel prices, lawsuit says - Tampa moving journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=4816\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AI is helping gas stations collude to raise California fuel prices, lawsuit says - 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