Walmart Launches Agent Gateway for AI Shopping While Amazon Blocks Agents

Walmart announced the launch of its Agent Gateway on Wednesday, embracing agentic commerce as competitor Amazon moves to block AI agents from making purchases on its platform. The retailer's president and chief executive John Furner revealed the new technology at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, positioning Walmart as a leader in preparing for mainstream AI agent adoption.

Walmart Embraces Agentic Commerce

While Amazon and various travel and booking sites have responded to growing consumer adoption of AI agents by locking them out completely, Walmart is taking the opposite approach. The company had previously announced a partnership with Meta's Muse and offers integrations with popular AI applications including ChatGPT and Gemini. The new Agent Gateway expands these efforts with technology designed for both Walmart and Sam's Club platforms.

Agent Gateway and Model Context Protocol

The Agent Gateway functions as Walmart's model context protocol (MCP) server, based on the protocol originally created by Anthropic. This allows approved AI agents to connect to Walmart's systems, search across the online inventory, and make purchases on behalf of users. The retailer emphasizes that the gateway helps customers shop for their usual brands without sharing personal information or purchase history directly with the agent.

Agent Profiles and Customer Controls

Rolling out next month, Agent Profiles will let customers authorize each AI agent with a dedicated profile in their Walmart account. This separates agent purchases from the customer's own transactions, similar to adding an authorized user on a credit card. Shoppers can require approval for each transaction or set spending limits, and can delete an Agent Profile at any time. A Walmart+ membership is not required to use these features.

Terms and Protections for Shoppers

Walmart has established special terms for AI agents operating on its site. The returns process applies even when an agent does not act as intended, providing consumer protection for early adopters. Agents cannot take actions beyond shopper intent, cannot access payment information, and can only access information needed for their specific task. Non-compliant agents will be blocked from accessing Walmart's site.

Sources: TechCrunch