JAKARTA - The world retail giant, Walmart, officially announced plans to launch a series of 'super agent' technology based on artificial intelligence (AI) to improve customer spending experience and accelerate internal operational efficiency.
In an announcement made on Thursday, July 24, Walmart explained that the four AI-based super agents will be aimed at four main groups: consumers, store employees, suppliers and sellers, as well as software developers.
The four will replace the various separate AI tools that have been used so far, and will be the main entry point for all AI-based interactions in the Walmart ecosystem.
With annual revenues of US$648 billion in 2024, Walmart targets online sales to reach 50% of total sales in the next five years. This move is also part of Walmart's strategy to rival Amazon's dominance in the global e-commerce market.
One of the super agents that is currently available is shot, the generative AI assistant in the Walmart application. How can you provide product recommendations, help search for printer ink, and summarize product reviews.
In its super agent version,tip will be able to reorder goods, help plan events such as unicorn-themed parties, and even provide recipe recommendations just by looking at the refrigerator content of customers using computer vision technology (computer vision).
"AI's agency is an advanced stage of AI's generating, as it is able to complete tasks with minimal human intervention," Vasudev Day, Chief Technology Officer of US Walmart said at an event in New York.
Walmart is also preparing a super agent "Associate" for store employees and office staff. This technology will facilitate processes such as applying for parental leave, or providing real-time sales data with only a small amount of input. Currently, these tasks are still carried out through various separate AI tools.
For suppliers, sellers and advertisers, Walmart is developing a super agent named "Marty" to simplify the registration process, order management, and the creation of advertising campaigns. In addition, Walmart is also building a super agent "Developer", which will become the main platform in testing, development, and launching of all future AI tools.
"This super agent will simplify and automate almost everything we do," said Suresh Kumar, global Walmart CTO. He added that this launch was done because customers are now familiar and ready to use AI technology in everyday life.
Although this technology is considered very efficient, Walmart has not provided any information on whether the launch of a super agent will have an impact on reducing labor. Dave Glick, Senior Vice President of the Enterprise Walmart Business System, said that AI will create new jobs, although it does not specify its shape.
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As part of digital transformation, Walmart also appointed Instacart executive Daniel Danker, as Executive Vice President for the acceleration of AI, products, and designs. The company is also looking for candidates to fill the newly formed AI-specific EVP position.
Although the retail sector has not been severely affected by layoffs due to AI, the tech industry is experiencing a massive wave of layoffs. Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have laid off thousands of jobs, mostly related to AI efficiency.
Walmart itself has not linked the reduction of staff directly to AI, but the company has stepped down corporate staff and updated its e-commerce fulfillment center to its automation system, which has an impact on reducing labor in a number of lines.
Walmart's aggressive move shows that digital and AI transformation is no longer just a complement, but is the main key in winning global retail competition.
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