Walmart’s latest AI innovations represent a shift for big retail

With consumer spending under pressure from tariffs, inflation and other economic headwinds, retailers are intensifying efforts to protect growth. Some are leaning on staff-driven, personalized in-store experiences, while others are investing in artificial intelligence to streamline operations and improve the customer journey.

Walmart has embraced the latter approach by debuting a suite of what it calls “super agents”—AI-powered assistants designed to automate routine tasks for both employees and shoppers. At its recent Retail Rewired event, the company introduced four of these digital helpers: one tailored to merchants and suppliers, another to shoppers, and two more focused on associate support and developer productivity.

These agents cover a broad spectrum of functions, from payroll management and time-off requests to merchandising support and event-specific product recommendations. “A proliferation of separate agents can quickly become overwhelming,” Suresh Kumar, Chief Technology Officer for Walmart Global, cautioned during the launch. To address this, the new Associate Agent serves as a unified portal, presenting every backend tool through a single interface. “The more you engage with it, the better it understands your preferences,” said David Glick, Senior Vice President for Enterprise Business Solutions.

Walmart’s AI strategy reflects a wider industry push to address rising costs and shifting consumer expectations. Amazon, for example, saw generative AI usage surge by 3,300 percent year over year during its four-day Prime Day promotion, while Google Cloud AI worked with Lush to deploy computer vision for unpackaged product identification, significantly cutting training expenses for new staff.

In parallel, Walmart is applying spatial AI to create digital twins—virtual replicas of its stores and clubs—that enable proactive facility management. Brandon Ballard, Group Director of Real Estate at Walmart U.S., reported that the retailer reduced emergency alerts by 30 percent and slashed refrigeration maintenance spending by 19 percent last year by diagnosing and resolving issues up to two weeks in advance.

Digital twins also drive incremental operational gains. Alex de Vigan, CEO and Founder of Nfinite, noted that these virtual models help retailers accelerate promotional setups, optimize workforce deployment and improve robotic picking accuracy—small efficiencies that can make a significant difference when margins are tight. Although shoppers may not see the digital twin at work, its impact shows up in better stock availability, faster site updates and fewer order errors, resulting in a smoother experience even as budgets tighten.

On the logistics side, Walmart employs machine learning to refine delivery-time estimates, balancing customer expectations with backend efficiency. Meanwhile, the Sparky agent assists customers in assembling their shopping baskets using AI-driven insights, and Walmart is developing the capability for the agent to automatically handle reorders, reducing the effort required from shoppers.

As retailers contend with an uncertain spending environment, artificial intelligence has emerged as a vital tool for sustaining revenue. The long-term effect of a fully AI-integrated shopping experience—both online and in stores—remains to be seen, but early deployments suggest the technology could fundamentally alter our relationship with retail.