Customers will soon be able to shop Walmart products via ChatGPT

US retail giant Walmart has announced a new partnership with OpenAI, through which it will soon make its products available to shop via AI-driven chatbot, ChatGPT. The move is already being hailed by Walmart executives as a next step in e-commerce, shifting from a static to dynamic experience.

“For many years now, e-commerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses,” Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, Inc., said in a release. “That is about to change. There is a native AI experience coming that is multi-media, personalised and contextual. We are running towards that more enjoyable and convenient future with Sparky and through partnerships including this important step with OpenAI.”

The platform will integrate Walmart products into customer use-cases for ChatGPT, from meal planning to finding a new item, serving them through a “chat and buy” format. The partnership expands on Walmart’s existing use of AI, which the company says is already being leveraged across every part of the business. Much of its current implementation tackles production timelines, workforce training and customer care resolution time, with this latest launch via ChatGPT to now address the shopping experience.

It comes despite heightened concerns over the increased use of platforms like ChatGPT across retail, with many critics expressing doubt over AI’s potential to impact employment opportunities and in-person experiences. In its release, however, Walmart underlined that the intention of the new partnership “isn’t about replacing human connection with machines, it’s about using AI to remove friction and make everyday moments easier”.