AI na yanke shawarar yawan kudin da za ka biya don Big Mac. Yadda McDonald's ta aiwatar da farashin algorithmic

Ka shiga wani McDonald's a wani yanki na birni, ka ga farashin Big Mac yana da darajar $5.69. Ka tuki kadan har zuwa wani wuri mai nisan mil biyu, ka shiga wani reshe na wannan kamfanin, farashin ya tashi zuwa $6.89. Bambancin ya kai kashi 21%. Kwatankwacin abin da ya faru ne kawai? Ba haka ba.

Wani bincike mai zurfi da aka buga a karshen watan Satumba na 2026 ya bayyana yadda wata babbar kamfanin abinci mai sauri a duniya ke amfani da karatun inji (machine learning) don gudanar da farashin abincinta. Ko da yake kamfanin na musanta amfani da "farashi mai canzawa" (dynamic pricing) ko na mutum-mutum, gaskiyar abin tana nuna wani abu mai rikitarwa sosai.

Yadda wannan "mai ba da shawara" ke aiki

Ba wai wani robot ne ke canza farashin a allo a kai a kai bisa ga yanayin zafin jiki ko yanayi ba. Tsarin yana aiki ne a matakin kowane reshen abinci daban.

Manyan jaridai sun samu hoton allon kwamfuta na ciki. Algorithm din yana nazarin miliyoyin ma'amaloli na yau da kullum, yana kwatanta su da farashin abokan hamayya da ke kusa (kamar Wendy's ko Burger King), kuma yana kiyasta abin da ake kira "shirye-shiryen abokan ciniki na biya" (willingness to pay) a wannan yankin kasuwanci na musamman.

Bisa ga wannan bayanan, tsarin yana ba masu gudanar da reshen (franchisees) "farashi mafi dacewa". A allon kwamfuta, hakan na iya bayyana a matsayin gargadi: "Reshenku yana nuna matsakaicin hankali ga farashi."

Kwatancin 'yancin zabi

Matsayin hukuma na McDonald's ya fito fili: algorithm din kayan aiki ne kawai, shawara ce. Hukuncin karshe koyaushe yana hannun mai mallakar reshen.

A aikace, abin ya dan bambanta. Masu mallakar kantuna biyar da Reuters ta yi hira da su, sun bayyana cewa ana matsa musu lamba akai-akai. Idan mai gudanarwa ya yi watsi da shawarar algorithm din ya kafa nasa farashi, kamfanin na gani.

Ana bin diddigin duk wani karkata daga farashin da aka ba da shawara. Bugu da kari, tun daga shekarar 2026, "hulda mai inganci" da kayan aikin farashi da kamfanin ya amince da su ya zama wani bangare na hukuma na bitar kasuwanci (business reviews). Sakamakon wadannan bitar yana tasiri kai tsaye kan ko za a ba mai mallakar damar bude sabbin wurare.

Wani mataki ne mai rikitarwa: a hukumance kana da 'yanci, amkar kokarin sanya farashi fiye da na algorithm (misali, don rufe karuwar kudin haya ko albashi a gida) na iya haifar da matsananciyar matsala da ofishin hedikwata.

Inuwar Big Mac na dala 18

A cikin labaran da suka shafi farashin algorithmic, wani misali mai tsoro koyaushe yana fitowa. A shekarar 2023, wani reshe a kan babbar hanya a Connecticut ya shahara da siyar da abincin Big Mac fiye da dala 18.

A cikin wata kara, mai wannan reshen ya yi iƙirarin cewa ya kai ga wannan farashin ne ta hanyar bin shawarar tsarin shawara na Deloitte, wanda McDonald's ta shawarci masu gudanarwa su yi amfani da shi. Ko da yake 'yan jarida ba su iya tabbatar da cewa ainihin kayan aikin AI na yanzu (wanda aka haɓaka tare da Tiger Analytics) ne ya ba da wannan shawara ta musamman, kasancewar irin waɗannan abubuwan da suka faru yana nuna abubuwa da yawa.

Wannan shi ne mafi tsananin abin da zai iya faruwa idan aka bi algorithm ɗin da ke neman riba ba tare da la'akari da hankali ba.

Dalilin da yasa masu kula da harkokin kasuwanci ke damuwa

Matsalar da ke kewaye da McDonald's ta zo tsakiyar hankalin Hukumar Kasuwanci ta Tarayya (FTC) da Ma'aikatar Shari'a ta Amurka.

Gwamnatoci na yaki da hada kai ta hanyar algorithm da kuma farashi. Wani misali shi ne karar kamfanin RealPage, wanda ake zargin cewa algorithm dinsa ya ba masu gidaje damar ƙara farashin haya ta hanyar musayar bayanan sirri.

Ko da yake McDonald's tana amfani da bayanan abokan hamayya na bude kawai, ba na sirri ba, ka'idar inganta farashi a tsakiya ga dubban wurare na kamfanin tana haifar da tambayoyi ga masu kula da harkokin kasuwanci. Ina nazarin kasuwanci na yau da kullum ya ƙare kuma manipulation na sirri ya fara?

McDonald's na ci gaba da jaddada cewa tsarinta yana taimaka wa kantuna su kasance masu gasa, kuma a wasu lokuta, algorithm din ma yana ba da shawarar rage farashi don jawo hankalin abokan ciniki.

Amma ga abokin ciniki na yau da kullum, sakamakon ya kasance iri ɗaya. Farashin burger ɗinka na ƙauna ba shi ƙaddara ta hanyar hankalin manajan gida ko kuma kuɗin abubuwan da aka yi amfani da su kawai ba. Lissafi mai sanyi ne ke lissafta shi, yana auna ainihin yawan abin da kake shirye-shirye ka biya a wannan lambar akwatin wasiku na musamman.