Walmart (NYSE: WMT) has introduced a suite of artificial intelligence tools designed to let AI agents browse, select, and complete purchases on behalf of customers.
The rollout includes two core components: the Walmart Agent Gateway and a feature called Agent Profiles, set to launch next month.
The Agent Gateway allows AI assistants including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Meta’s Muse to connect directly to Walmart and Sam’s Club systems to search products and finalize purchases.
Agent Profiles will enable shoppers to authorize individual AI agents, track purchases separately, set spending limits, and revoke access at any time.
Walmart has emphasized that customers remain in control throughout the process, with AI agents blocked from accessing payment card data.
Any agent that violates company rules can be permanently blocked, and the tools will be available to all Walmart account holders without requiring a Walmart+ membership.
Mizuho analyst David Bellinger said the tools add confidence to an “experimental” process, noting that buy-in from top management is making it “a real thing.”
The move contrasts sharply with Amazon’s approach, which has reportedly sought to limit outside AI shopping agents from operating on its platform.
The announcement arrives as Walmart continues to build momentum in e-commerce, with global online sales growing 23% last quarter, advertising revenue rising 38%, and U.S. marketplace sales climbing 52%.
Customers using Walmart’s own Sparky AI assistant already spend 40% more per order than those who do not use the tool, suggesting AI-driven shopping lifts transaction values.
Walmart raised its full-year sales growth guidance to between 4% and 5%, while also lifting operating income growth guidance to a range of 7% to 8.5%.
However, the company expects third-quarter operating income growth to slow to between 2% and 4% as price investments take effect across the business.
Walmart added more than 11,000 rollbacks last quarter and is absorbing over $2 billion in additional fuel costs this year, weighing on near-term profitability.
WMT shares have declined approximately 9% over the past six months, trading around $120 against a 52-week high of $135 and an analyst price target of $127.
No specific sales impact from the new AI tools was disclosed, leaving the longer-term revenue contribution an open question for investors watching the stock.
