Walmart will let outside AI assistants shop for you, with limits

Walmart says you will soon be able to shop at its store through outside AI assistants, while keeping control of what gets bought. The company announced a feature called Agent Profiles, expected to launch in November. It lets you set spending limits, approve purchases and watch what each AI agent buys.

What changed

An AI agent is an assistant that can take actions for you, such as placing an order. Walmart announced Agent Profiles, a tool called Agent Gateway, and operating rules for these agents. The Gateway is still being developed. It is meant to help an agent find the products you prefer without seeing your full purchase history.

Walmart already has its own assistant, Sparky. Use of Sparky rose 70% over the past year. People who use it spend 40% more per order than people who do not.

What is not known yet

The material does not say which outside AI assistants will work with Walmart. It also does not say how approvals will look in practice, or whether any fees apply. Only the November timing for Agent Profiles has been given. No date was shared for the Gateway.

Walmart's own plans depend on whether shoppers actually adopt these tools. If you try one, the spending cap and the purchase log are the features to check first.