Walmart looks to cash in on agentic AI

Walmart doesn’t intend to lose its crown as the world’s largest retailer anytime soon. And, according to US EVP and CTO by agreeing to develop and roll out new automation systems within 400 Accelerated Pickup and Delivery (APD) centers in the coming years. The deal has also seen Symbotic take control over Walmart’s advanced systems and robotics business.

Elsewhere in its supply chain, Walmart is using AI for “demand forecasting, route planning, and last-mile logistics,” Vasudev says, noting that these uses are essential in helping Walmart provide “95% of US households with same-day delivery by year-end.”

Walmart stores also rely heavily on AI systems. refers to automated and decisive systems that perform tasks with little to no human input, and Vasudev sees them as the key to unlocking “seamless engagement” for the retailer and its various stakeholders.

Walmart’s agentic strategy comprises four super agents for associates, developers, customers, and suppliers. Vasudev describes it as a push “toward an agentic future where AI acts as a true partner across every part of the business.” On the employee side, Associate Agent does things like answer HR questions, while the Developer Agent helps the company’s software developers write, test, and roll out new applications quickly.

Along with AI workforce tools, Walmart has also launched recent AI products for customers, suppliers, and advertisers. The customer-facing chatbot, called Sparky, provides product review summaries, product suggestions, and product locations. In the foreseeable future, it’ll be even more advanced — automatically ordering items when customers run out of them, creating event plans with the required products, understanding video and pictures rather than just text, and much more.

For suppliers and advertisers that work with Walmart, they’ll soon be able to use a dedicated AI chatbot called Marty. It will assist with tasks such as onboarding, setting up advertising campaigns, and managing orders.

To avoid fragmentation, Walmart’s new super agents run on “a unified, agentic AI framework that reimagines how our business operates,” Vasudev tells report, 45% of US retailers are using AI every week or for longer periods of time.

While AI use is rapidly growing in retail, the report also found that only 11% of retailers believe they’re prepared to use it in all areas of their business — a stark contrast to Walmart, which has found uses for AI in virtually all its departments.

.”

As such, the vast majority of retailers will likely need to outsource their AI projects to third-party AI vendors, he says, to tap their ability to “articulate use cases and business outcomes” and, most importantly, “aid with implementation.”

He concludes: “They must also navigate challenges, including data privacy, ethical AI use, integration complexities, and customer trust to scale its use.”