Walmart Taps OpenAI to Power Shopping Through ChatGPT
Retail giant's move into conversational commerce signals a major push to integrate generative AI into the customer experience.
Walmart is making a significant leap into the future of retail, announcing a strategic partnership with OpenAI that will allow customers to purchase products directly through the ChatGPT interface. The collaboration marks one of the most ambitious moves by a major retailer into conversational commerce, aiming to create an 'AI-first' shopping experience that could redefine how consumers interact with e-commerce platforms.
The initiative, , opens a vast new sales channel for the retail behemoth by leveraging the massive user base of generative AI. This integration will enable personalized, contextual, and multimedia shopping journeys, allowing customers to simply chat about their needs and complete purchases with an 'Instant Checkout' feature, with Walmart handling fulfillment in the background.
Beyond the customer-facing integration, the partnership underscores a deep, company-wide commitment to artificial intelligence. Walmart is also leveraging OpenAI to by 2026. This billion-dollar investment in employee development aims to build AI literacy across its entire workforce, from frontline associates to corporate staff, enhancing skills in inventory management, customer service, and data analysis.
Wall Street has reacted positively to the news, viewing it as a forward-thinking move to secure a leadership position in the next phase of digital commerce. Analysts at for Walmart, raising their price target while citing the company's 'agentic AI efforts.' They noted that Walmart’s ability to combine its immense scale with provides a significant competitive advantage in developing effective AI tools.
This collaboration is not Walmart's first foray into AI. The company already utilizes internal AI agents, including a customer-facing tool named 'Sparky' and a conversational assistant for store associates called 'Ask Sam.' However, this partnership with a leading large language model provider is a clear signal of its intent to lead the market. By embedding itself directly into one of the world's most popular AI platforms, Walmart is positioning itself at the top of the funnel for AI-driven commerce, that competitors will be watching closely.