Walmart has announced the launch of shopping tools using AI agents that can search for products and place orders on behalf of Walmart and Sam’s Club customers. The innovation is presented as part of the Walmart Agent Gateway, which will provide separate profiles for AI agents and control over their purchases. Customers will be able to set spending rules: require confirmation for each purchase, allow the agent to buy within a set budget (e.g., $50, $100, or $200), review agent purchases, and delete their profiles at any time. AI agent profiles will appear within the next month.
The new system will use the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to interact AI agents with external services and tools. Agents will have a special way of searching and making purchases without being given the customer's full purchase history or other unnecessary personal data. Prices for AI agents will remain the same as for regular shoppers, and applicable offers and fees will be shown before placing an order. Walmart also plans beta testing of the gateway for developers and businesses.
Walmart introduces separate conditions for AI agents: they will not be able to go beyond the buyer's intentions, access their payment card data, or change payment methods. Access to information will be limited to data necessary for a specific task and permitted by the user. Return policies will apply even if the agent completes an order differently than the customer expected. Agents violating the requirements will be blocked.
The launch comes amid different approaches by retailers to agent commerce. Amazon has begun blocking AI agents attempting to purchase items on its site on behalf of users, while Walmart is developing integrations with AI services, particularly ChatGPT, Gemini, and Muse from Meta, and creating infrastructure for automated shopping.
This material is prepared solely for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice or a recommendation.
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