Walmart is reportedly preparing for artificial intelligence (AI) to transform its workforce.
“It’s very clear that AI is going to change literally every job,” CEO Doug McMillon said last week, per a Friday (Sept. 26) Wall Street Journal report.
The report characterized McMillon’s comments, at a workforce conference at Walmart’s headquarters in Arkansas, as among “the most pointed assessments” so far from a major company’s chief executive on the effect of AI on employment. At the conference, the CEO said some roles at Walmart will be eliminated, while others will be created.
“Maybe there’s a job in the world that AI won’t change, but I haven’t thought of it,” he added.
According to the report, Walmart executives have begun to study implications for its workers during almost every high-level planning meeting. Company leaders say they are monitoring which job types decrease, increase and remain steady to determine where additional training and preparation can help workers.
“Our goal is to create the opportunity for everybody to make it to the other side,” McMillon said.
In the meantime, company officials say these changes mean the size of its staffing levels will remain more or less flat even as revenues climb.
Walmart intends to maintain its head count of around 2.1 million global workers over the next three years, though the mix of those jobs will change significantly, said Donna Morris, Walmart’s chief people officer, who added that it’s not clear how that composition will look.
“We’ve got to do our homework, and so we don’t have those answers,” Morris said.
As the WSJ noted, Walmart has already developed chatbots, which it calls “agents,” for customers, suppliers and employees, and is also tracking an expanding share of its supply chain and product trends with AI.
Meanwhile, PYMNTS wrote recently about the great debate surrounding AI and job losses, pointing to PYMNTS Intelligence research which revealed how large U.S. companies are increasingly dipping their toes into agentic AI. This technology can autonomously take actions and make decisions independent of human oversight, like paying a vendor.
“But the companies are keeping a tight leash on the software, with human hands on the processes the software handles,” PYMNTS added.
In other Walmart news, PYMNTS wrote about the company’s upcoming sales event for October, happening in tandem with a similar event from rival Amazon.
“Amazon wants to turn rivals into customers by monetizing infrastructure. Walmart wants to bind customers more tightly by expanding the scope of its services,” that report said.
“The strategies differ, but the intent is the same: win the household wallet before holiday spending surges.”
Source: https://www.pymnts.com/