Walmart introduced tools that let AI agents search for products and complete purchases on behalf of shoppers, according to Reuters.
The retailer's new Walmart Agent Gateway connects assistants including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and Meta's Muse to the systems running Walmart and Sam's Club.
Any Walmart account holder can use the gateway; no Walmart+ subscription is required.
The gateway runs on the model context protocol, the interface standard Anthropic created, letting agents interact with Walmart's systems directly rather than navigating webpages built for humans.
Walmart will roll out Agent Profiles in November, letting shoppers approve specific agents, track their purchases separately, cap spending or require sign-off on every transaction, and revoke access at any time.
Walmart compares the setup to adding an authorized user to a credit card, according to TechCrunch.
Agents get no access to payment card data, and Walmart can cut off any that break its rules; terms of use keep Walmart's standard return policy in force even if an agent fails to execute what a shopper wanted, and bar agents from acting beyond the shopper's intent.
Walmart President and CEO John Furner outlined the plans at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, saying the company is preparing for a future where agent-driven shopping is routine.
The move contrasts with Amazon, which has recently moved to bar outside AI agents from buying on its behalf, with Reuters framing Walmart's approach as a bid to become the destination multiple AI assistants can plug into rather than one that locks them out.
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