Buyer-Optimal Algorithmic Recommendations

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Ichihashi, Shota, Smolin, Alex
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2023
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author Ichihashi, Shota
Smolin, Alex
author_facet Ichihashi, Shota
Smolin, Alex
contents In markets where algorithmic data processing is increasingly prevalent, recommendation algorithms can substantially affect trade and welfare. We consider a setting in which an algorithm recommends a product based on its value to the buyer and its price. We characterize an algorithm that maximizes the buyer's expected payoff and show that it strategically biases recommendations to induce lower prices. Revealing the buyer's value to the seller leaves overall payoffs unchanged while leading to more dispersed prices and a more equitable distribution of surplus across buyer types. These results extend to all Pareto-optimal algorithms and to multiseller markets, with implications for AI assistants and e-commerce ranking systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2309_12122
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Buyer-Optimal Algorithmic Recommendations
Ichihashi, Shota
Smolin, Alex
Theoretical Economics
In markets where algorithmic data processing is increasingly prevalent, recommendation algorithms can substantially affect trade and welfare. We consider a setting in which an algorithm recommends a product based on its value to the buyer and its price. We characterize an algorithm that maximizes the buyer's expected payoff and show that it strategically biases recommendations to induce lower prices. Revealing the buyer's value to the seller leaves overall payoffs unchanged while leading to more dispersed prices and a more equitable distribution of surplus across buyer types. These results extend to all Pareto-optimal algorithms and to multiseller markets, with implications for AI assistants and e-commerce ranking systems.
title Buyer-Optimal Algorithmic Recommendations
topic Theoretical Economics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.12122