The Portland City Council this week will consider a ban on landlords using artificial-intelligence algorithms to sent rents, a practice that’s been widely criticized as price-fixing.
The ban will get another chance in the spotlight after its champion, Councilor Angelita Morillo, tabled it earlier this year to keep an eye on lawsuit in Berkeley, Calif. over a similar ban.
Morillo and renters’ advocates have said the ban would help keep rents lower, especially in buildings that are managed or owned by large rental companies known for using AI software to set rents, most famously a company called RealPage…