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This week: When grief meets pricing algorithms, who gets protected?

Funeral Pricing and Algorithmic Grief

Delta Airlines recently announced its plans to expand the use of AI for dynamic pricing across its services. What sounds like harmless tech jargon—“smarter pricing based on demand”—has some darker implications when you zoom in.

Imagine this scenario: You search for a last-minute ticket after a loved one dies. Prices spike instantly. Why? The system knows you’re desperate. Maybe it’s your browser history. Maybe it cross-referenced obituary databases. Maybe your behavior signaled urgency—no incognito mode can mask that. And once the algorithm knows you need the flight, the price may quietly rise.

That’s not just speculative. Similar algorithmic pricing models have already exhibited this kind of behavior. Uber has been criticized for increasing prices during natural disasters. Amazon’s pricing has surged on emergency supplies during crises. Airline pricing has always been dynamic—but now it’s potentially hyper-personalized in ways consumers can’t see, predict, or fight.

Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian said in an earnings call that the AI system will help “better match pricing to customer demand.” But there’s little transparency about how that demand is assessed—or how fairness is safeguarded.

The Ethics of Desperation-Based Pricing

This isn’t just about bad optics. It’s about a dangerous precedent.

AI-powered pricing systems are built to maximize profit. But without ethical guardrails, those systems will almost always learn to prioritize what customers will tolerate over what they deserve. And if your pain or urgency makes you more tolerant of high prices, guess what? That becomes part of the profit model.

Consumer watchdog groups have started to raise flags. The Center for AI and Digital Policy is pushing for federal regulation on algorithmic transparency. However, the reality is that we don’t yet have enforceable standards to prevent emotional profiling from becoming a pricing factor.

Even if Delta isn’t exploiting grief today, the door is wide open. And once one company normalizes it, others will follow.

 This isn’t just a tech issue. It’s a moral one.

My Disruptive Take

AI doesn’t just make systems smarter. It makes ethical choices harder—and the cost of getting it wrong even higher.

If companies like Delta want to harness AI for pricing, they need to build in more than profit. They need accountability.

That means:

• Transparent audits of what data is used

• Opt-out mechanisms for sensitive data tracking

• Guardrails that prevent emotional exploitation

In short: human-first design for AI systems. Because when the algorithm can feel your pain, it shouldn’t be allowed to sell it back to you at a markup.

Sources

1. Delta expands AI-driven airfare to 20% of domestic flights

   Delta plans to use AI-powered pricing (via Fetchrr) on ~3% of domestic tickets now, rising to 20% by year-end 2025—confirmed by Reuters and The Points Guy

   https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/delta-plans-use-ai-ticket-pricing-draws-fire-us-lawmakers-2025-07-22/

2. AI “super‑analyst” pricing model raises privacy questions

   Delta’s “super analyst” AI sets real-time personalized fares, drawing concern over privacy and fairness.

   https://www.investopedia.com/ai-may-determine-the-price-of-your-next-delta-ticket-11770432

3. Senators demand answers on individualized AI pricing

   Senator Gallego (joined by Warner and Blumenthal) wrote to Delta, asking how its AI system determines personal “pain‑point” pricing

   https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/delta-plans-use-ai-ticket-pricing-draws-fire-us-lawmakers-2025-07-22/

4. FTC investigating AI-powered “surveillance pricing”

   The FTC is probing AI tools used by companies—including airlines—to tailor prices based on personal data

   https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/ftc-probes-ai-powered-surveillance-pricing-mastercard-jpmorgan-chase-mckinsey-others

5. “Predatory” AI pricing could end low base fares

   Critics warn Delta’s AI may erode cheap tickets while boosting revenue from emotional or non-comparison shoppers

   https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/07/will-ai-end-cheap-flights-critics-attack-deltas-predatory-ai-pricing/

MidwestCon

MidwestCon 2025 @ UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub

The Silicon Heartland’s flagship tech festival returns! Expect policy-shaping keynotes, hands-on AI labs, and the kickoff of the Future of Data Hackathon.

Podcast

Disruption Now Podcast

Meet Kaila Love—“The AI Homegirl.” Once a homeless teen, now the founder of KailaLove.ai, she shows musicians how to leverage AI to automate the grind, own their IP, and grow data-driven fanbases. Tune in as Kaila joins the Disruption Now Podcast to reveal the exact tools, tactics, and mindsets that turned her hustle into an AI-powered music empire.

Keep Disrupting,

Rob, CEO of Disruption Now & Chief Curator of MidwestCon