Walmart And Chat GPT Are Partnering—Here’s What It Means For You
Grocery shopping is about to become a lot more futuristic with the unveiling of a new merger between one of the US's top supermarket chains and the world's most popular AI tool. This isn't science fiction: Walmart has partnered with OpenAI to create AI-driven shopping experiences just in time for the holiday season, the company announced last month. This new merger will allow customers to shop directly through ChatGPT, using a new "Instant Checkout" feature.
“For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses. That is about to change," Doug McMillon, Walmart's President and CEO, said in a statement.
What is AI-first shopping?
Using conversational language, you can ask ChatGPT to "plan a week of Asian-inspired meals," or "plan a Super Bowl dinner," and it will automatically connect to Walmart's catalog and generate a shopping list. What's more, you don't even have to leave ChatGPT to complete the purchase, as it will be linked with your Walmart or Sam's Club account.
AI will learn your shopping patterns and preferences over time, allowing it to make proactive suggestions in anticipation of your needs, making for an even quicker, more streamlined, and convenient shopping experience.
“We’re excited to partner with Walmart to make everyday purchases a little simpler. It’s just one way AI will help people every day," Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said in a statement.
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When will this feature be released?
A specific release date for the ChatGPT "Instant Checkout" tool for Walmart has yet to be announced, but it's slated to be live by the end of the fall. However, it will not yet include fresh produce.
Prior to this, OpenAI already integrated an "Instant Checkout" function with Shopify and Etsy in the US, but it only works for single items, not entire shopping carts. Right now, it's more of a novelty feature, but the integration with Walmart and Sam's Club will hopefully make it a more practical everyday tool.
This comes after Walmart has already rolled out several AI-powered features on its app. These include the AI shopping assistant, "Sparky," which can help with planning events and curating personalized shopping lists, and enhanced search and navigation that show an item's in-store location and find you in-store savings.
Is it safe?
With the new feature, ChatGPT will not have access to your payment information, as your data is protected through tokenization. The purchase is still done directly between the customer and the merchant, with ChatGPT only acting as a personal AI assistant. AI's "Instant Checkout" shopping experience is governed by a brand new standard called the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which was designed to provide a more convenient shopping experience while maintaining user security.
These new AI shopping tools are the latest example of AI becoming increasingly more omnipresent in our day-to-day lives, but only time will tell whether this new feature is truly groundbreaking or just a neat trifle.
