McDonald’s is expanding an artificial-intelligence system that recommends menu prices for individual restaurants in the United States and some other markets. The system analyzes millions of transactions from about 14,000 U.S. stores, estimates local willingness to pay and reviews publicly available prices at nearby competitors such as Wendy’s and Burger King. A September check found a Big Mac priced at $5.69 at one company-run store in Fresno, California, and $6.89 at another 2 miles away, a 21% difference, although Reuters could not establish whether the AI recommendation caused the gap. McDonald’s says the system is a tool rather than a mandate and that franchisees retain final pricing authority, while prior reporting found owners faced pressure to follow the guidance. The company does not currently set different prices for individual customers at the same store, but the wider use of AI, consumer data and electronic price tags is intensifying scrutiny of personalized pricing. Walmart has said it prices products rather than people and will not adjust prices based on individual factors such as income, purchase history, urgency or estimated ability to pay.