Walmart lets AI agents shop for customers as Amazon cracks down on rivals

# Walmart Introduces Rules-Based AI Shopping Agents to Complete Purchases for Customers

Walmart announced Wednesday that it is introducing new tools allowing artificial intelligence agents to shop and complete transactions on behalf of customers, marking a new step in the retailer’s efforts to integrate AI into online shopping.

According to The Verge, Walmart has established rules governing how these agents operate, requiring them to “must not take actions beyond what the shopper intends.” The guidelines also prohibit agents from changing a customer’s payment method and limit their access to information strictly necessary to complete assigned tasks. Walmart said it will block agents that violate these requirements.

The new tools will operate through “Agent Profiles” within Walmart’s platform, giving customers greater control over how AI systems shop on their behalf. By default, customers will need to approve purchases made by their agents, although they can also authorize purchases within a specified budget.

Customers will be able to review transactions completed by their AI agents separately from their own shopping activity. They can also deactivate an agent whenever they choose, providing an additional layer of oversight over automated purchases.

Walmart has developed an “Agent Gateway,” currently available in beta, to connect AI agents through the Model Context Protocol, or MCP. The open standard enables AI systems to communicate with external services and tools.

The retailer said the system is designed to make AI-assisted shopping more convenient while restricting agents’ access to customers’ personal information and broader shopping histories.

For example, if a customer regularly purchases sourdough bread or a particular brand of milk, Walmart can help an agent identify those familiar products without exposing the customer’s entire shopping history.

Walmart plans to extend the AI shopping capabilities to Sam’s Club, broadening the potential reach of the technology across its retail operations.

The announcement comes as major retailers take different approaches to the growing use of autonomous AI shopping assistants. While Walmart is developing a framework that allows authorized agents to complete purchases under defined conditions, Amazon has taken steps to prevent certain third-party AI agents from accessing its shopping platform.

Last month, Amazon said it had blocked Meta’s Muse personal AI agent from shopping on Amazon.com on behalf of customers. The company said it had asked Meta to exclude its e-commerce platform from the service but had not received the required authorization. Amazon also alleged that Muse did not identify itself while browsing the site.

Amazon has taken legal action against other AI shopping services as well. In November 2025, the company sued startup Perplexity, alleging that it concealed its AI agents to continue accessing Amazon’s website without authorization.

Earlier this year, a federal judge temporarily barred Perplexity from accessing Amazon’s website through its Comet AI browser, according to court filings.

The contrasting approaches highlight an emerging debate over who controls AI agents as they navigate online marketplaces, access customer information and make purchases. Retailers are weighing the potential convenience of automated shopping against concerns about security, privacy, authorization and control over their platforms.

Walmart’s system places emphasis on customer permissions, purchase approvals, spending limits and restricted data access. However, its effectiveness will depend on how consistently the rules are enforced and how well the technology handles real-world shopping tasks.

As AI agents become more capable of making decisions and completing transactions, the development of clear authorization standards could play an important role in shaping the future of digital commerce.