Walmart introduces AI super agents to transform shopping experiences

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, is planning the rollout of AI-powered 'super agents' aimed at enhancing the shopping experiences for customers, employees, suppliers, and developers. This initiative comes as the company adapts to a competitive online market, striving to increase its online sales and narrow the gap with e-commerce giant Amazon. Currently, Walmart's e-commerce sales account for 50 percent of its total annual revenue of $648 billion. At an event held in July 2025, Walmart's US Chief Technology Officer, Hari Vasudev, shared plans for the implementation of specific AI tools designed to assist various stakeholder groups. One of these tools, named Sparky, has already been integrated into Walmart's app and will soon evolve into a more comprehensive super agent. This upgraded version will provide capabilities such as reordering items previously purchased, event planning, and suggesting recipes based on customers' existing groceries. In addition to Sparky, Walmart is developing an 'Associate' super agent that is intended to make administrative tasks easier for corporate employees, who currently rely on a variety of different AI tools for help in their operations. Furthermore, Walmart is also working on a 'Marty' super agent, which will focus on assisting sellers, suppliers, and advertisers. This tool will streamline onboarding, manage orders, and facilitate advertising campaigns within the company. Lastly, a 'Developer' super agent is under development to test all future AI tools before their public release. The company's aim in introducing these super agents is to capitalize on the consumers' increasing familiarity and trust in utilizing AI technologies in their everyday lives. As the retail landscape evolves with technological innovation, Walmart's decision to implement these AI systems represents a strategic move towards modernizing operations and enhancing customer engagement. While the retailer has not provided specifics on whether these advancements will result in job redundancies, the overall trend indicates a shift towards a more automated and efficient retail environment. The timing is deemed critical, as Suresh Kumar, Walmart's chief technology officer, stated that the company believes customers are ready to incorporate AI into their shopping experiences.