The use of AI by online intermediation platforms. Conciliating economic efficiency and ethical issues

This paper focuses on the effects of the implementation of artificial intelligence-based algorithms by online intermediation platforms in terms of both economic efficiency and fairness and ethical dimensions. It addresses three main issues: the consumer segmentation and the capacity to discriminate; the strategic use of artificial intelligence by dominant platforms in co-opetitive digital ecosystems; and the role of artificial intelligence-based tools to guarantee trustworthy user-reviews on e-commerce platforms. This paper emphasizes the importance of the guarantees for platform users in terms of transparency and accountability.