Walmart Inc. (WMT.US) collaborates with Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOGL.US) to launch AI shopping, jointly promoting "conversational e-commerce".

Walmart Inc. (WMT.US) and Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOGL.US) jointly announced last Sunday that consumers will be able to explore products and complete the purchase process more conveniently at Walmart Inc. and its warehouse club store Sam's Club through Alphabet Inc. Class C's artificial intelligence assistant Gemini. John Furner, who is set to become the CEO of Walmart Inc., and Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet Inc. Class C, announced the partnership at the National Retail Federation's annual "big show" held at the Javits Center in New York. They revealed that the collaboration has been reached, but did not disclose the launch date of the new features or the financial terms. Walmart Inc. stated that the service will first be launched in the United States, and then expanded to international markets. With the new agreement with Alphabet Inc. Class C, Walmart Inc. is accelerating its embrace of consumers who are accustomed to using AI chatbots like Gemini to save time or find inspiration. As early as October last year, the company teamed up with OpenAI, a competitor of Gemini, to launch the "quick checkout" feature within ChatGPT, allowing users to complete single-item purchases without leaving the conversation. Recently, this feature has been officially opened to the public, and OpenAI has also signed instant checkout cooperation agreements with Etsy (ETSY.US) and Shopify (SHOP.US) merchants such as Skims, Vuori, and Spanx. Walmart Inc. has also integrated a yellow smiley face AI assistant named Sparky into its own app. Furner said, "Transitioning from traditional web or app search to agent-driven commerce signals the next major evolution in retail. We are not just observing this shift, but actively driving it." Furner, who will take on the role of CEO of Walmart Inc. on February 1, stated on stage that the company is "rewriting the retail rulebook" and using artificial intelligence to shorten the distance between "I want" and "I have." Pichai mentioned that Alphabet Inc. Class C is pleased to cooperate with Walmart Inc. and described the application of artificial intelligence as a "transformative" moment. For Walmart Inc., consumers have shifted their search starting point from their own app or website to AI chatbots, reshaping their digital strategy. David Guijena, the Chief eCommerce Officer of Walmart Inc. in the U.S., stated in a release that agent-based artificial intelligence "allows us to meet our customers in the earlier stages of their shopping journey in more scenarios." He said, "Over time, these agents will make it easier for customers to find what they need, want, and love." Walmart Inc. executives have recently been vocal about how artificial intelligence will reshape labor and employee roles; as the largest private employer in the United States, their statements naturally carry weight. Doug McMillon, the outgoing CEO of Walmart Inc., admitted before handing over the baton to Furner that the impact of this technology is profound and wide-ranging, "It's obvious that artificial intelligence will fundamentally change every job."