Walmart tells workers AI will make their jobs better, not eliminate them

Walmart is rolling out artificial intelligence tools across its operations, promising its 2.1 million employees that the technology will transform how they work rather than reduce how many are employed. Gregory Meyer reports for the Financial Times from the company’s annual Associates Week gathering in Arkansas, where executives made the case for AI as a workforce enhancer.

The retail giant announced that all US staff can now become certified in the use of OpenAI tools. New chief executive John Furner presented an award to two Walmart engineers who built a “vibe coding” platform that allows hourly workers to write code and solve business problems.

What AI is actually doing at Walmart

• A freight manager coded a tool to find drivers the best loads near the end of their workweek, cutting empty miles and costs.
• AI is being used to analyze consumer opinions and inform product design.
• Self-checkout scanners can now identify produce without bar codes.
• Sparky, Walmart’s AI shopping chatbot, was demonstrated live on stage by Furner.

Daniel Danker, executive vice-president for AI acceleration, described a future where AI shifts inventory management from reactive to predictive. “If there’s a sudden heatwave, all of a sudden all the items you would need in a heatwave are right there, available for delivery in 30 minutes or less,” he said.

Not everyone is convinced. The labour group United for Respect sponsored a shareholder proposal asking Walmart to report on AI’s impact on workers. The proposal was voted down at the annual general meeting. Worker representative Ava Williams said a “rushed rollout” of AI tools was creating impossible timelines, leading to injuries and burnout. “We are not asking Walmart to stop using technology. We’re asking for technology that works for us, not against us,” she said.

The broader context adds pressure. AI has been the leading reason US companies cited for job cuts in each of the past three months, according to placement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Walmart’s own tech and product design teams announced hundreds of lay-offs last month, though the company did not link them to AI. Global headcount has declined slightly over five years even as revenue rose by $151 billion to $713 billion in 2025.