Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) investors have voted against a shareholder proposal requiring the retail giant to report on how its artificial intelligence tools affect employee safety and working conditions.
The proposal was filed by investor group United for Respect, which sought greater transparency around the impact of AI-driven systems on workers across Walmart’s vast retail operations.
Shareholders rejected the measure at the company’s annual meeting, with preliminary results confirming the outcome, as reported by Reuters.
The vote arrives as Walmart continues to aggressively scale automation across its supply chain and store operations while battling Amazon for dominance in fast delivery and e-commerce.
Walmart associate Ava Williams told Reuters that employees have repeatedly raised concerns about AI-linked performance expectations, citing “injuries, burnout, and high turnover” as recurring problems.
Williams also said workers are sometimes pressured to skip key safety steps, including sanitizing shelves and checking expired products, in order to meet AI-driven targets.
Walmart executives pushed back against those concerns, with Josh Allen, head of frontline training, stating the company prioritizes “responsible use and human judgment” in its approach to AI deployment.
Allen added, “AI learning should build confidence, not pressure,” signaling that the company views its technology rollout as an employee support tool rather than a performance enforcement mechanism.
On a separate front, Walmart announced it will allow customers to order from roughly 1,400 Subway locations inside its stores, with delivery promised in as little as 30 minutes by this summer.
Orders can be placed independently or bundled with Walmart’s existing Express Delivery service, with a flat fee and no hidden charges, while Subway pricing will match in-store menus.
Some in-store Subway locations will also offer exclusive items available only through Walmart, adding an additional incentive for customers to use the combined delivery platform.
The Subway expansion builds on Walmart’s 30-minute-or-less delivery service that launched across 33 U.S. markets on May 28, covering more than 100,000 items including groceries, electronics, and prescription medications.
The move puts Walmart in more direct competition with delivery platforms such as Uber Technologies and DoorDash as the retailer continues to build out its fast-commerce infrastructure.
Stocktwits sentiment on WMT trended in “extremely bullish” territory on Thursday, with message volume surging 112% over the past seven days and a dramatic 1,643% over the past 30 days.
WMT shares have gained over 12% in the past 12 months, and the company earlier this year crossed a major financial milestone when its market capitalization climbed above $1 trillion.
