Walmart will let AI agents shop on its site, with approval and budget controls
Walmart will soon let AI agents shop on its website on behalf of customers. According to The Verge, the retailer will allow shoppers to use an AI agent on the site next month, with systems to approve and review purchases and to set spending limits. The company will let users shop with AI agents on Sam's Club as well.
The Verge frames the move as a contrast with Amazon, which blocked Perplexity's shopping agent and Meta's Muse AI assistant. Walmart is opening up, but only for agents that follow its rules. It has outlined a set of terms, saying that "agents must not take actions beyond what the shopper intends" and that agents cannot change a customer's payment method. Agents can also only access information needed to complete their task. Walmart says it will block agents that don't follow these terms.
Agents will connect to new "Agent Profiles" within Walmart. By default, Walmart will require approval for every AI agent purchase, but a user can instead let the agent shop within a certain budget, such as up to $100. Purchases made by the agent can be reviewed separately from the user's own in Agent Profiles, and the user can turn the agent off at any time.
On the technical side, Walmart has built an "Agent Gateway", currently in beta, that connects AI agents through the Model Context Protocol, described as an open standard that lets AI agents plug into different services on the web. Walmart says this lets agents shop without the hiccups they might hit when navigating a browser, and also keeps them from accessing the user's shopping history and personal information.
Walmart gave an example of how that works: if a customer tends to buy sourdough bread or a particular brand of milk, Walmart will help the agent find those usual items without sharing the customer's broader shopping history with the agent.
Key facts
- Walmart says it will let customers use an AI agent on its site starting next month, with tools to approve and review purchases and set spending limits.
- By default every agent purchase needs the shopper's approval; users can instead allow the agent to shop within a budget, such as up to $100 (an example figure).
- Walmart's terms: agents must not act beyond what the shopper intends, cannot change a customer's payment method, and can only access information needed for the task. Non-compliant agents will be blocked.
- Agents connect through a beta "Agent Gateway" built on the Model Context Protocol and through new "Agent Profiles", where purchases are reviewed separately and the agent can be switched off at any time.
- The Verge contrasts the move with Amazon, which blocked Perplexity's shopping agent and Meta's Muse AI assistant. Sam's Club will also support AI agent shopping.
Why it matters
Two big retailers are taking opposite positions on AI shopping agents. The Verge notes that Amazon blocked Perplexity's shopping agent and Meta's Muse AI assistant, while Walmart is inviting agents in on conditions it sets. Walmart pairs the invitation with a dedicated route for agents, the Agent Gateway on the Model Context Protocol, instead of leaving them to work through a browser.
Who it affects
Walmart shoppers, who will be able to hand shopping tasks to an AI agent, and Sam's Club members, who will be able to do the same. It also affects the developers and companies behind AI shopping agents, which will have to follow Walmart's terms or risk being blocked.
How to use it
Per the report, agents connect to Agent Profiles inside a Walmart account. Approval is required for all agent purchases by default. A shopper can instead set a budget, such as up to $100, for the agent to spend without asking each time. Agent purchases appear separately from the shopper's own in Agent Profiles, and the agent can be turned off at any time. The availability is stated as next month; the source gives no exact date.
How solid is it
The account comes from The Verge's report on Walmart's announcement, and the key claims about privacy and the Gateway's benefits are attributed to Walmart itself. The Gateway is described as currently in beta. The report gives no exact launch date, does not name which AI agents or companies will be supported, and quotes nothing from Amazon about its blocking.
Risks and caveats
The $100 figure is only an example of a budget, not a stated limit or default. Walmart says it will block agents that break its terms, but the source does not explain how that would be enforced. The source also gives nothing on pricing, fees or arrangements with agent providers, and no detail on when AI agent shopping arrives at Sam's Club beyond it being available there as well.
“agents must not take actions beyond what the shopper intends”
— Walmart, in its outlined terms for AI agents