Walmart has announced a range of new AI shopping features designed to let customers use AI agents to shop on their behalf, part of its efforts to address the growing number of AI agents used in online shopping.

The retailer is introducing Agent Profiles, a feature that creates a separate profile for each AI shopping assistant linked to a customer's Walmart account. Instead of mixing AI-generated purchases with a customer's own orders, the profile will allow shoppers to track agent purchases separately.

Customers will also be able to set spending limits for individual AI agents or require approval before every purchase. Walmart said users will be able to remove an agent's access at any time.

The company is also launching the Walmart Agent Gateway, a new platform that enables AI agents to interact directly with Walmart's systems rather than navigating its website like a human shopper. Walmart said the gateway will make AI-assisted shopping faster and more reliable, with a beta version for developers and technology partners launching first.

The gateway will also allow AI agents to select a customer's regularly purchased products without sharing their full shopping history or personal information. For example, an agent can identify a customer's preferred brand of milk or bread without accessing their wider purchase history.

Alongside the new tools, Walmart has introduced rules governing how AI agents can use its platform. Customers will approve purchases by default, agents will not receive payment card details or be able to change payment methods, and Walmart said it will block agents that fail to follow its requirements.

The retailer added that product prices will remain the same whether purchases are made by customers directly or through AI agents.

Agent Profiles will begin rolling out next month, while the Walmart Agent Gateway will initially launch as a beta for developers.

The move from Walmart contrasts with online retailer Amazon which blocked Meta’s Muse AI agent from shopping on its platform in September.

Muse users attempting to purchase goods from Amazon.com were shown a message stating that continued access by an unauthorised AI agent violated Amazon’s Conditions of Use. Amazon said Meta had not informed it that Muse would access the retailer’s website and that the agent did not identify itself while browsing.

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