Walmart CEO warns AI will impact 2 million jobs, from leadership to checkout

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) will drastically reshape the company’s workforce, impacting millions of jobs across all levels, from leadership positions to checkout roles. The comments, made at a recent Harvard Business Review event, underscore the retailer’s ambitious plans to go "on offence" with AI, as the company looks to adapt to the rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer with approximately 2.1 million employees globally, is preparing for significant change. McMillon highlighted that every role within the company will be affected, whether through shifts in tasks such as retrieving shopping carts or more fundamental changes in how management and technical teams operate. “Every job we’ve got is going to change in some way — whether it’s getting the shopping carts off the parking lot, or the way our technologists work, or certainly the way leadership roles change,” McMillon said.

The CEO also reassured employees that, despite the upheaval, the company was not directly announcing layoffs. Instead, Walmart plans to focus on evolving roles, providing its workforce with access to AI tools like ChatGPT, and offering training to help employees adapt to the changing environment. “What we want to do is equip everybody to be able to make the most of the new tools that are available, learn, adapt, add value, drive growth — and still be a really large employer years from now,” McMillon stated.

In line with this vision, Walmart has already introduced new AI-based positions, such as “agent builders,” responsible for creating AI tools to assist merchants. The company is also focusing on integrating AI into customer service operations, including chatbots and online support, further streamlining its processes. While McMillon acknowledged that AI would change the retail industry dramatically, he emphasised that human interaction would remain central, at least for the foreseeable future. “We are going to put people in front of people,” he reassured.

Despite these reassurances, the shift towards AI has sparked uncertainty. While Walmart’s global workforce is expected to remain stable over the next few years, as per statements from company executives, the roles within the workforce will continue to evolve. Donna Morris, Walmart’s Chief People Officer, admitted that changes were inevitable, even though the company is committed to ensuring employees are supported through retraining and AI adaptation pathways.

This shift to AI at Walmart also coincides with the company’s partnership with OpenAI, which will facilitate “agentic commerce” through ChatGPT, allowing for a conversational shopping experience. The integration of AI into Walmart’s operations signals the company’s commitment to staying at the forefront of retail technology while navigating the challenges posed by automation.