BP, Marathon, 7-Eleven, Walmart sued for allegedly using AI to boost California gas prices

BP, Marathon, 7-Eleven, Walmart sued for allegedly using AI to boost California gas prices A BP logo is seen at a petrol station in London, Britain, January 15, 2015. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor · Reuters Jonathan Stempel Mon, June 22, 2026 at 11:13 PM GMT+2 1 min read BP ACI MPC WMT By Jonathan Stempel June 22 (Reuters) - Gas station operators including BP, Circle K, Marathon Petroleum, 7-Eleven, Walmart and Albertsons were sued ‌on Monday by California drivers who accused them of using ‌artificial intelligence to boost prices at the pump. According to a proposed class action, the ​defendants violated California's main antitrust law, the Cartwright Act, by using an AI-based tool that uses data from competing gas stations to "coordinate high prices and wring more money from the pockets of consumers.

" The lawsuit in ‌the Sacramento, California federal court ⁠said the scheme violated Assembly Bill 325, a California law that took effect on January 1 and was ⁠intended to crack down on algorithmic price fixing. Drivers said gas prices have risen as much as 30 cents a gallon in areas where high ​percentages ​of stations use the AI tool, ​which comes from a company ‌called Kalibrate. Each penny costs California drivers an extra $134 million per year, boosting gasoline prices to "astronomical" levels sometimes reaching $7 a gallon, the complaint said.

"While families struggle to afford the commute to work, defendants have conspired to put an end to competition, joining an AI-powered trust to ensure ‌that no matter where a driver turns, ​the price for gasoline is artificially high," ​the complaint said. The defendants ​operate more than 1,700 gas stations in California, according ‌to the complaint. Kalibrate is also ​a defendant.

The ​defendants either did not immediately respond to requests for comment or declined to comment. Californians pay the nation's highest gas prices, averaging $5. 58 ​per gallon for ‌regular, according to AAA.

The national average is $3. 93. The lawsuit seeks ​unspecified damages for drivers who paid too much for gasoline.