Walmart sets ground rules as it opens the door to outside AI agents

Walmart is getting friendly with outside AI agents, but not without laying down some ground rules first. The company last week launched a series of new tools allowing customers to use the apps and agents they choose but with “with clear permissions, controls and protections built in,” per a news release from the company.

The announcement outlined new tools and policy changes, including Agent Profiles, the Walmart Agent Gateway, and updated terms for how AI agents can be used. 

• Agent Profiles allows customers to create dedicated profiles for their AI shoppers, separating out their purchases and giving them the option to set spending limits.
• The Walmart Agent Gateway is a designated access point for AI agents the company said is faster and less error-prone than coming through a web browser designed for human beings.
• The new terms establish clear rules for what agents can do on behalf of customers, including requiring approval for all purchases and restrictions on access to customer payment information.

The retail giant has so far proven more open than rival Amazon to opening the door to outside AI platforms. While Walmart launched integrations with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, Amazon blocked Meta’s AI agent Muse from accessing its e-commerce site.

The reason for this resistance comes down to access to customer data, Greg Buzek, president and chief AI orchestrator at IHL Group, told Retail Brew.

“What’s happening is Muse is basically siphoning off their pricing and product descriptions…and they don’t know who’s shopping,” he said. “Whereas if you go to Amazon.com, they know who’s shopping.” When a sale comes through an agent, he added, the question becomes “Who owns the knowledge of the customer?”

Walmart can take a different tack than Amazon, Buzek explained, because of its status as “a store for the everyman.”

“Walmart has purposely chosen to be as open and as wide open as they possibly can be when it comes to this new agentic shopping,” he said.

The retailer has expressed its desire to split the difference between giving shoppers options and remaining in control of the customer experience.

“Customers decide how they want to shop,” Walmart CEO John Furner said in an interview with The Aisle. “If they choose to use an agent, we want Walmart to be there and we want them to stay in charge. They decide what the agent can do on their behalf. Choosing more help shouldn’t mean giving up control.”