Among retailers, Walmart has been moving to provide a range of shopping alternatives driven by artificial intelligence, including its Sparky AI agent and conversational commerce integrations with Muse, ChatGPT and Gemini. Now, the company is introducing Agent Profiles, a gateway to automated shopping that allows consumers to authorize AI agents and establish controls over their purchases.
The tools the company is providing within Agent Profiles will let customers shop Walmart and Sam’s Club stores through the apps and agents they choose, with clear permissions, controls and protections built in, the company stated.
Agent Profiles, launching next month, will give customers a dedicated profile to authorize each AI agent. Shoppers will be able to view purchases made by an agent separately from their other transactions.
Customers will also be able to choose how they want to approve purchases. They can approve every purchase or give the agent permission to buy within a set spending limit.
In the company’s second quarter conference call, John David Rainey, executive vice president and CFO, addressed how Walmart is advancing its approach to customers at a time of AI proliferation, saying, “Our teams continue to focus on what we do best, serving customers and members with everyday great value, exceptional convenience and speed, all while pushing our business model forward, diversifying our profit mix and leading in agentic experiences.”
Walmart president and CEO John Furner expanded on how Walmart is using artificial intelligence, saying AI is helping make Walmart faster, more convenient and more personalized.
“We continue to take a people-led, tech-powered approach,” he said. “We’re using AI to make our work easier and to help our associates grow and be at their very best. We believe AI will improve nearly every part of our business by making shopping better and our associates’ work easier. Sparky is a great example. The number of customers using Sparky is up 70% from last year, and the customers and members who use Sparky for shopping spend 40% more per order than others who don’t. Someone recently shared with me that they asked Sparky for a weekly meal plan of healthy foods with high protein options. Within a few seconds, Sparky shared recipes and meal kits with the ability to add all the ingredients they needed with one click.”
He added that the AI agent recognized the ingredients the customer had recently purchased, both online and in-store, to prevent unnecessary repeat purchases.
Furner characterized Walmart’s current initiatives with Sparky and its approach to AI and customers overall as one of building trust. When you step back, what encourages me the most is how these areas are increasingly connected. This isn’t about any single driver. It’s about building a business where each advantage reinforces the next.”
