Retail giant Walmart invests heavily in artificial intelligence through its 'super agent' approach
Walmart Transforms Retail Operations with AI Super Agents
Walmart is revolutionizing its operations by implementing AI super agents, centralized, multifunctional AI systems designed to streamline and unify the retailer's AI tools for various user groups across its ecosystem. These super agents replace numerous standalone AI tools with four main agents, each handling a broad range of needs by coordinating multiple specialized subagents operating behind the scenes.
The four super agents are:
- Sparky (customer agent): Already live and integrated into Walmart’s shopping experience, Sparky assists shoppers with product recommendations, reviews, event planning, and reordering.
- Marty (supplier agent): Set to launch soon, Marty assists suppliers with inventory analytics, campaign suggestions, onboarding, and catalog management, aiming to unify fragmented supplier-facing systems.
- Associate agent (employee agent): Expected in 2026, this agent supports Walmart workers by handling tasks like replacing lost discount cards, answering benefits-related questions, scheduling, and sales data insights. It includes subagents focused on specific employee needs.
- Engineering (developer) agent: Also targeted for release around 2026, this agent helps engineers with routine HR tasks, software testing, development acceleration, and launching new applications.
Each super agent is supported by multiple subagents tailored to particular functions, such as a subagent aiding employees with benefits navigation or another helping merchants analyze sales trends. Walmart has also developed the capability for teams to create and share small, rapid-deployment AI tools called "nano agents" within the framework, further enhancing adaptability.
Walmart's goal with this architecture is to provide a single AI interface per user group that delivers a wide range of services under one roof, increasing efficiency and user satisfaction. This approach integrates AI fully into Walmart’s operational fabric, including advanced use cases like dynamic delivery windows to 95% of U.S. households, aided by geospatial data and digital twins of facilities to predict and prevent operational issues.
In addition to these super agents, Walmart has also launched a new merchant agent named Wally, and a store-centric associate agent is part of the new framework. The company also has an agent for company tech developers.
Walmart's conversational AI tool is used by 900,000 associates who ask 3 million questions per week. The AI has minimized time needed for shift planning by team leads from 90 minutes to just 30 minutes, cut fashion production timelines by up to 18 weeks, and reduced emergency maintenance by 30% and repair costs by nearly 20% in pilot cases, thanks to digital twin technology.
This transition from experimental AI deployments to a strategic, unified AI ecosystem represents Walmart’s commitment to smarter retail operations, better customer experiences, and improved supplier and employee engagement.
[1] Walmart Newsroom. (2023). Walmart unveils new companywide artificial intelligence framework. [online] Available at: https://news.walmart.com/news/walmart-unveils-new-companywide-artificial-intelligence-framework
[2] Walmart Newsroom. (2023). Walmart appoints Daniel Danker as executive vice president of AI acceleration, product, and design. [online] Available at: https://news.walmart.com/news/walmart-appoints-daniel-danker-as-executive-vice-president-of-ai-acceleration-product-and-design
[3] Walmart Newsroom. (2023). Walmart creates new executive vice president of AI platforms position. [online] Available at: https://news.walmart.com/news/walmart-creates-new-executive-vice-president-of-ai-platforms-position
[4] Walmart Newsroom. (2023). Walmart launches new customer-facing super agent, Sparky. [online] Available at: https://news.walmart.com/news/walmart-launches-new-customer-facing-super-agent-sparky
[5] Walmart Newsroom. (2023). Walmart announces plans to make three-hour delivery possible to 95% of U.S. households by the end of this year. [online] Available at: https://news.walmart.com/news/walmart-announces-plans-to-make-three-hour-delivery-possible-to-95-of-u-s-households-by-the-end-of-this-year
- Walmart's strategic AI ecosystem, unveiled recently, is designed to unify its AI tools across multiple user groups, including customers, suppliers, employees, and tech developers, through the use of AI super agents and nano agents.
- The customer-facing super agent, Sparky, has already been integrated into Walmart's shopping experience, providing assistance with product recommendations, reviews, event planning, and reordering.
- The update on Walmart's AI landscape includes the launch of a new agent for company tech developers, in addition to the upcoming supplier agent, Marty, employee agent, and engineering agent, each streamlining various operations within the retail business.
- AI tools like Sparky, currently being used by 900,000 Walmart associates, have shown significant improvements in retail operations, reducing time for shift planning, slashing fashion production timelines, decreasing emergency maintenance, and cutting repair costs through the application of digital twin technology. This shift in AI adoption by Walmart signifies a commitment to smarter retail operations, better customer experiences, and enhanced supplier and employee engagement.
