Walmart Launches AI Tools for Agents to Shop, Complete Purchases
Walmart launched new tools that enable artificial intelligence agents to shop and finalize transactions for customers, as the retailer aims to establish itself in the rising trend of AI-driven assistants in online shopping.
The action highlights Walmart's efforts in AI-driven shopping and contrasts with Amazon, which has attempted to restrict third-party AI shopping agents from accessing its platform.
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The company’s adoption of AI technology sets it apart from other online businesses, including not just Amazon but also numerous travel and booking platforms, which have reacted to the increasing consumer use of AI agents by completely restricting access on their sites.
Walmart, conversely, had previously revealed a collaboration with a major player in the industry, Meta’s Muse, and provides integrations with well-known AI applications such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and more.
Walmart president and CEO John Furner stated at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco that the company is now enhancing its initiatives with additional technology to get ready for a future in which AI agents are prevalent. The technology will enable agentic shopping at both Walmart and the company’s discount warehouse, Sam’s Club.
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It begins with Walmart's Agent Gateway, the firm's new MCP server, intended to assist approved agents in connecting with Walmart via the model context protocol (MCP). The protocol, initially developed by Anthropic, enables AI agents to link with external data sources, tools, and additional workflows. In this scenario, it enables an AI agent to explore Walmart’s online stock and complete purchases for the agent’s user.
Additionally, the retailer claims that its Agent Gateway will assist customers in shopping for their regular brands or products without needing to disclose their personal details or buying history directly to the agent.
The firm has also created innovative technology to distinguish between an agent’s purchases and those started directly by customers, allowing shoppers to have more control over what their agents are permitted to do.
Starting next month with Agent Profiles, customers can grant authorization to each AI agent they use through a specific profile in their account, enabling them to view the agent's purchases distinct from their own. Additionally, customers will have the ability to determine how purchases are approved, either by mandating approval for every transaction or by permitting transactions within a spending limit they establish.
The retailer states that these measures resemble adding an authorized user to your credit card, allowing their purchases to be tracked while enabling you to set spending limits. The company indicates that Agent Profiles will be established the first time you utilize a specific agent to shop through the Walmart Agent Gateway.
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In conjunction with these technologies, Walmart is unveiling distinct “terms” for AI agents, outlining how they should function and the rights they possess to engage in transactions on its platform. Walmart mentions that its returns procedure is applicable, even if an agent does not perform as expected. This is a consumer-friendly condition that might influence buyers who were hesitant about being early adopters of agentic commerce, as they won't be concerned about receiving unwanted products due to a malfunctioning agent.