Walmart Introduces AI Agent Tools for Automated Shopping

Walmart is developing new tools that will allow authorized AI agents to shop on behalf of customers, with spending limits and approval controls designed to keep automated purchases under control.

The initiative includes two features: Agent Profiles and the Walmart Agent Gateway. Both will support Walmart and its warehouse retail subsidiary, Sam’s Club, as the retailer expands into agentic commerce—where AI systems can complete shopping tasks on behalf of people.

The launch builds on Walmart’s existing conversational shopping partnerships, including integrations with Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The new tools aim to move beyond product discovery and enable AI agents to complete purchases directly.

Walmart Agent Profiles Give Customers Control Over AI Purchases

Walmart plans to launch Agent Profiles within the next month. The feature will create a separate sub-account for each authorized AI agent, similar to adding an additional user to an existing credit card account.

This separation will allow customers to distinguish purchases made by AI agents from orders they place themselves. It also gives shoppers greater control over how much an agent can spend.

Customers will have two main options for managing purchases. They can require approval for every shopping basket before an order is placed, or they can allow an agent to buy items independently within a set spending limit.

The available autonomous spending limits will be $50, $100, or $200. Customers will also be able to disconnect an AI agent whenever they choose.

These controls are intended to make automated shopping more manageable by letting customers decide when an agent needs permission and how much purchasing authority it receives.

Walmart Agent Gateway Connects AI Agents Directly to Retail Systems

Alongside Agent Profiles, Walmart is introducing a developer beta of the Walmart Agent Gateway. The system is designed to give third-party AI agents a more direct and structured way to interact with Walmart’s retail platform.

Until now, external agents have often relied on standard web browsers to navigate shopping websites. Because these interfaces are primarily designed for people, automated systems can encounter errors while browsing product pages, selecting items, or completing checkout.

Walmart’s gateway aims to reduce those problems by using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to establish a structured communication channel between AI agents and the retailer’s systems.

Through this connection, an agent can submit a shopping request, and Walmart can match the request with the customer’s preferred products. For example, if a shopper regularly buys a particular brand of milk or bread, the system is designed to help identify the preferred item without requiring the external agent to access the customer’s broader purchase history.

The approach is intended to limit the personal information shared with outside systems while allowing agents to complete shopping tasks more efficiently.

AI Shopping Agents Will Receive Walmart’s Standard Prices

Walmart says customers using AI agents will receive the same prices, promotions, and delivery fees available through Walmart.com.

This policy is intended to keep pricing consistent regardless of whether a customer shops directly on the website or uses an authorized AI agent to place an order.

The gateway also establishes a framework for machine authentication and automated checkout. These capabilities are important as retailers work out how external AI systems can securely identify themselves, access shopping services, and complete transactions on a customer’s behalf.

Privacy is another key consideration. By matching product requests within Walmart’s own systems, the company aims to avoid exposing unnecessary customer information to third-party agents.

Walmart Focuses on Trust and Customer Choice

Automated shopping could make routine purchases easier, particularly for customers who regularly order household essentials. However, giving AI systems permission to spend money also raises questions about security, privacy, and control.

Walmart says its new tools are being designed with safeguards that allow customers to choose how much autonomy an agent receives. Shoppers who prefer to approve every order can retain that control, while those comfortable with automation can set a spending limit.

In its statement, the company said: “Shopping with an agent won’t be for everyone, and it does not have to be. But for customers who choose to use one, our goal is to make our experience the most trusted by building clear controls and protections into the experience from the start.”

The rollout reflects Walmart’s broader effort to prepare its retail systems for AI-driven shopping. Agent Profiles will give customers control over automated spending, while the Agent Gateway is designed to help developers connect their agents to Walmart’s ordering infrastructure.

As AI assistants become more capable of completing tasks rather than simply answering questions, these tools could help shape how consumers shop online. Walmart’s challenge will be to make the process convenient without compromising customer privacy, transparent pricing, or control over purchases.