Walmart, OpenAI partner to create AI shopper tool

Oct. 14 (UPI) — Walmart and OpenAI have joined forces to offer shoppers the option to buy items by using OpenAI chatbot services in artificial intelligence.

America’s largest retail giant announced Tuesday it partnered with OpenAI to deploy its ChatGPT AI tool in order to allow consumers to purchase items more seamlessly.

“For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses,” according to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon. “That is about to change.”

It’s part of a broader push by Walmart to integrate artificial intelligence into its business model.

Walmart officials did not specify when ChatGPT will be available for shoppers other than to say it’s arriving “soon.”

But the full agreement terms were unclear.

OpenAI currently has similar deals with Shopify and Etsy and last month released GPT-5 in its the latest and most advanced iteration of its artificial intelligence technology.

“We’re excited to partner with Walmart to make everyday purchases a little simpler,” OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman said in a statement.

Walmart is among global companies leaning heavily into AI in it operations with staff deploying AI tools for inventory, scheduling and other tasks.

“It’s just one way AI will help people every day under our work together,” Altman added in a statement.

But economists offer differing opinions on the level of safety and worldwide impact of artificial intelligence.

The general consensus among economic experts is that AI ultimately will increase inequality and decrease the number of open positions in the U.S. job market.

Arkansas-based Walmart argued that the future of retail “isn’t about replacing human connection with machines,” but rather about “using AI to remove friction and make everyday moments easier, smarter and more delightful.”

On Tuesday, Walmart’s CEO added how there is a “native AI experience coming” for shoppers that will be “multi-media, personalized and contextual,” McMillon said.