The retail giant is introducing tools that let AI assistants search products and make purchases on customers’ behalf, with spending limits and approval controls designed to keep shoppers in charge.

Walmart is taking another step toward AI-powered shopping with new tools that allow artificial intelligence agents to search for products and complete purchases on behalf of customers.

Announced on October 21, 2026, the initiative introduces two key features: Walmart Agent Gateway and Agent Profiles. Together, they are designed to make it easier for AI assistants to interact directly with Walmart and Sam’s Club shopping systems instead of navigating websites built primarily for human users.

The move signals a growing shift in e-commerce, where customers may increasingly rely on AI agents to handle routine shopping tasks rather than manually searching for products, comparing options and checking out.

How Walmart’s AI shopping tools work

The Walmart Agent Gateway provides a connection through which AI assistants, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Meta’s Muse, can interact with Walmart and Sam’s Club systems to find products and facilitate purchases.

The gateway is designed to make shopping more reliable for AI agents while limiting the personal information they need to complete a task. For example, an agent could help locate a customer’s usual groceries without receiving access to the person’s entire shopping history.

Walmart is also developing Agent Profiles, which are expected to begin rolling out in November. These profiles will let customers authorize individual AI agents, view their purchases separately from their own orders and choose how much purchasing authority each agent receives.

Customers will be able to require approval for every transaction or set spending limits, such as $50, $100 or $200. They will also be able to revoke an agent’s access.

Security and customer control remain central

Allowing AI to make purchases introduces questions about unauthorized transactions, privacy and mistakes. Walmart says its system is designed to keep customers in control.

Under the company’s rules, AI agents cannot access customers’ payment-card details or add or change payment methods. Agents must also stay within the permissions granted by customers, and Walmart can block agents that violate its terms.

The company says its pricing commitment will apply equally to people and AI agents, with the same product prices and applicable offers and fees disclosed before purchase.

The tools are intended to be available to Walmart account holders without requiring a Walmart+ membership.

A changing battle for online shoppers

Walmart’s approach also highlights a divide emerging across online retail. Rather than restricting AI agents from interacting with its platform, the retailer is building infrastructure to accommodate them under defined rules.

The strategy could make shopping more convenient for customers who want AI to manage repeat purchases, source household essentials or find products that match specific needs. It could also change how retailers compete for visibility when an AI agent, rather than a person, evaluates available products.

However, the broader adoption of agentic commerce will depend on whether consumers trust these systems to follow instructions, respect budgets and handle purchases accurately.

What this means for the future of shopping

Walmart’s announcement moves AI shopping beyond recommendations and conversational product searches toward systems that can take action.

If the approach gains traction, customers may increasingly delegate everyday shopping tasks to AI while retaining control over budgets, approvals and personal data. For retailers and technology companies, the next challenge will be making automated purchases convenient without compromising transparency or trust.

Walmart is preparing for a future in which AI agents do more than suggest what to buy  they can help buy it, too.