Should Demand Models Incorporate Competitor Prices? Oblivious Learning and Algorithmic Collusion
A new research paper explores how pricing algorithms in competitive markets learn demand and interact with competitor pricing. The study, titled "Should Demand Models Incorporate Competitor Prices? Oblivious Learning and Algorithmic Collusion," investigates the strategic choice between informed learning (modeling competitor prices) and oblivious learning (ignoring them). The findings suggest that while oblivious learning can lead to transient collusive patterns, it is ultimately less profitable and less robust than informed learning, with the latter converging to a competitive outcome. AI