Walmart CEO warns AI will reshape all jobs

In a recent workforce conference in Bentonville, Arkansas, Walmart's CEO Doug McMillon openly discussed the impending transformation of the workplace due to artificial intelligence (AI). He emphasized that AI will impact nearly every role, a clear acknowledgment from a leading U.S. employer regarding the disruptions expected in the job landscape. Walmart aims to maintain its workforce of 2.1 million employees over the next three years, despite projecting revenue growth. However, the composition and nature of these jobs are anticipated to change significantly. Walmart's leadership, including Chief People Officer Donna Morris, is actively planning for this transition. They intend to analyze which roles will see decline or growth while prioritizing necessary training to facilitate workers’ adaptation to evolving job specifications. McMillon affirmed the company's goal of enabling all employees to successfully navigate these changes. This proactive approach underlines an effort to mitigate the negative consequences of job displacement that AI may bring. The company has been harnessing AI in several areas, such as employing chatbots for customer service and optimizing supply chain management. Notably, they hired Daniel Danker from Instacart to spearhead these initiatives. Meanwhile, automation has revolutionized distribution processes in recent years, resulting in some job reductions. However, Walmart has countered this trend by creating new job roles, like the position of ‘agent builder’ for developing AI tools, highlighting a strategy that strives to blend AI efficiency with human interaction in customer-facing activities. While there are technological advancements in automation, McMillon strongly advocates for maintaining a human-first approach in customer service roles, expressing that as long as companies are serving people, human employees must remain prominent. He anticipates that routine customer service functions will become more AI-driven sooner than others. This outlook reflects a broader conversation in the tech industry, where some, like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, warn that AI could threaten large numbers of entry-level jobs in the near future, further complicating the labor market in U.S. industries such as legal, consulting, and finance.