AI Tools Now Within Reach of Walmart Store Employees

Walmart Streamlines Operations with Advanced AI Tools

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, is revolutionising its operations by introducing a suite of AI tools aimed at enhancing efficiency for store associates and streamlining their tasks.

The cornerstone of these innovations is the development of an AI-powered "Associate" super agent, scheduled to launch in 2025. This super agent centralises processes such as scheduling, sales data access, and administrative tasks, reducing the workload for associates.

Key AI tools Walmart has deployed or is rolling out for associates include:

MyAssistant: A generative AI tool designed for associates and store leaders that answers questions, analyses data, and provides insights on store performance and team metrics. It supports leaders in preparing meetings and making data-driven decisions, thereby saving time and improving workforce management.
Real-Time Translator: A mobile translation tool supporting dozens of languages, facilitating instant two-way communication between associates and managers who speak different languages. This promotes better collaboration and inclusivity on diverse store teams.
RFID + Augmented Reality (AR): This technology combination allows associates to locate and manage inventory with higher precision and speed. RFID tags track items in the store, while AR overlays digital location info via handheld devices, accelerating product searches by up to 75%.
Sidekick: An AI-driven digital assistant that helps associates with product searches, task management, and answering customer questions by providing real-time guidance for efficient task completion and customer service.

Walmart’s AI framework consolidates various AI agents into four main "super agents" that simplify interaction for employees: Sparky for customers, the associate agent for store staff, Marty for suppliers and sellers, and a developer agent for software development. The associate super agent notably includes specialized subagents for benefits queries and workforce data insights, enhancing the support available to associates and store leaders.

These AI innovations have already demonstrated benefits such as reducing customer support resolution times by up to 40%, cutting shift planning time from 90 to 30 minutes, and optimising maintenance and inventory operations through digital twin technology in stores.

Walmart employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide and serves approximately 270 million customers and members each week across more than 10,750 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries. The company, which is based in Bentonville, Ark., has FY2025 revenue of $681 billion.

According to Greg Cathey, SVP of transformation & innovation at Walmart, AI is a key enabler in improving work and its full potential is unlocked when paired with human strengths. The impact of putting intuitive, accessible technology into the hands of millions of Walmart associates is transformational, Cathey stated.

Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on Progressive Grocer’s 2025 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, and the company was also named among PG's Retailers of the Century. In March, Walmart rolled out a GenAI-powered assistant named Wally to automate a number of time-consuming tasks for merchants, including root cause identification, data entry and analysis, how-to support, and advanced calculations.

The real-time translation feature is currently available at Walmart, while the AI-driven task management and upgraded conversational AI are being piloted at select locations. Walmart believes in the power of AI to improve work processes and is investing in its development and integration into its operations.

The AI-powered "Associate" super agent, scheduled to launch in 2025, is centralizing processes at Walmart, including tasks like scheduling, sales data access, and administrative duties, thereby reducing the workload for associates. Walmart is also utilizing the generative AI tool, MyAssistant, which supports store leaders and associates with questions, data analysis, and insights on store performance and team metrics.