How Instacart's AI Pricing Is Costing Some Customers More Than Others

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How Instacart's AI Pricing Is Costing Some Customers More Than Others By Rolland Judd Dec. 9, 2025 7:32 pm EST

Rising grocery costs have many people looking for deals on everything from the best store-bought pizza to game day snacks like tortilla chips and stellar store-bought salsa . But if you're having those foods delivered to your door via Instacart, you might be paying more than even the eye-watering prices at the supermarket. A recently released investigation Consumer Reports and Groundwork Collaborative found that the grocery delivery service is utilizing AI to manipulate prices — and you are part of the experiment.

The nonprofit consumer advocacy group gathered hundreds of volunteers to place identical orders on Instacart to determine if there were any pri