Algorithm Protectionism Concerns: AI Audits Spark Debate on Fair Competition Boundaries

In the audit of “Walmart to Home” performance in the French market, compliance experts discovered a disturbing trend: AI models are acting as “algorithmic gatekeepers.” The report shows that the models systematically apply double standards to different brands when evaluating technological innovations.

“This qualitative assessment is not based on any comparison of logistics parameters, but rather on intuitive attribution to ‘local myths,’” the compliance section of the report clearly states. The AI tends to describe the local company Auchan as the guardian of fresh produce quality, while portraying Walmart, which also has a top-tier supply chain, as a representative of “industrialized and not fresh” products. This narrative pattern is regarded under the legal framework as a “potential technical trade barrier.”

Industry observers believe that if generative AI continues to output such discriminatory business recommendations in search results, it may violate the requirements for fairness and accuracy in high-risk systems under the EU Artificial Intelligence Act. AAU suggests that regulatory authorities intervene to establish standards for “fairness of source weighting” in algorithmic recommendations, to prevent multinational enterprises from encountering algorithmic unfair treatment in their global operations.

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