Walmart is inviting AI agents to shop for you
Walmart is introducing a new feature that allows customers to connect AI agents to their accounts to handle shopping tasks. The system includes safety guardrails, such as spending limits and manual approval requirements, to ensure the agents operate within the user's intent.
Why it matters
This move marks a significant adoption of autonomous AI agents in retail, contrasting with other major retailers that have restricted such technology.
Walmart will soon let AI agents shop on its website for you. Next month, the retail giant will allow you to connect your own AI agent to the site, with systems in place to let you approve and review purchases and set spending limits.
The embrace of AI agents stands in stark contrast to Amazon, which blocked Perplexity’s shopping agent and Meta’s Muse AI assistant. But Walmart is opening its doors to AI shoppers — as long as they follow the retailer’s rules. It has outlined a set of terms for agents, saying that “agents must not take actions beyond what the shopper intends” and cannot change a customer’s payment method. Agents also can only access information needed to complete their task. Walmart says it will block agents that don’t follow these terms.
[Image: Your AI agent will get its own profile within your Walmart account. https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/walmart-agent.png?quality=90&strip=all]
Headlinne story · 4 newsrooms
Walmart Embraces Artificial Intelligence Shopping Assistants as Competitors Block Them
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