How AI Is Transforming Your Next Trip To Walmart

Nearly three years ago, just before the 2022 Holiday shopping season, ChatGPT made its debut to the American masses. In over 30 months, AI has already advanced and grown significantly. There is a fear that AI may become self-aware and possibly view humans as a problem to be exterminated, in a horrific plot not unlike the Terminator movies, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The flip side to the emergence of Artificial Intelligence is the possibilities of human advancement in the sciences. AI is accelerating research and development in the material sciences, where some believe we'll have sci-fi materials, making the world unrecognizable by the late 2030s. What used to take decades of research and development in every industry will soon only take years or even months. AI is also making strides in our everyday chores.

AI is soon coming to Walmart

Walmart is now adopting a much less sinister AI application. By partnering with OpenAI, the retailer allows shoppers to make in-store purchases using ChatGPT. With its new "Instant Checkout" feature, shoppers can then browse Walmart's products and complete their purchases within the app while chatting with the AI bot.

If you haven’t heard, the new checkout feature, released last month, lets you ask ChatGPT questions like “What’s the best hair curler for under $40?” or “What’s a good gift for a dad who likes riding his bike on the weekends?”

AI now thinks for you, researches products for you, and even replaces you, all while letting you make purchases without leaving the app.

According to Walmart, this will allow:

“customers and Sam’s Club members plan meals, restock essentials, or discover new products simply by chatting. AI will learn and predict customers’ needs, turning shopping from a reactive experience into a proactive one — what Walmart calls agentic commerce.” -Walmart

Where was this app when I needed it as a single guy in my late 20s?