U.S. shoppers are angry and confused.

Restaurant chains and big stores use high-tech ways to set prices.

Digital price tags are replacing paper ones in grocery stores.

AI tools help companies decide what to charge.

The tools guess how customers will act.

Words like "dynamic pricing" and "surveillance pricing" worry people on social media.

Users ask if different people pay different prices for the same thing.

Americans are used to changing prices for flights, hotel rooms and rides.

But everyday prices are now shaped by computer programs they don't understand.

They are also shaped by personal data they may not know they are sharing.

This has upset many people.

Katie Thomas works for the consulting firm Kearney.

She said there is a big fight over who will hold the power: companies or shoppers.

Companies say some worries come from mistakes.

Walmart CEO John Furner wrote a blog post.

He said digital tags save workers time and keep prices current.

He said the labels are not used to raise prices based on weather, time of day or the shopper.

He added that Walmart prices the product, not the person.

But companies do not always say clearly what data they collect.

This has made shoppers suspicious.

Lawmakers and regulators are taking action.

Legislators in at least 30 states have considered pricing bills this year.

These include rules on computer-set and personal pricing, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The Federal Trade Commission has proposed a policy.

It warns that not telling people about the use of personal data to set prices for them could break consumer protection law.