Walmart Is Harnessing Generative AI To Elevate The Shopping Experience

Photo 232588560 © Sergei Elagin | Dreamstime.com

As the holiday season inches closer, Walmart is looking to generate (pun intended) more curiosity among shoppers by investing in the wildly evolving world of generative artificial intelligence.

Speaking to members of the press at a briefing, the big-box retailer outlined a number of ways the buzzing technology can be harnessed to remove barriers often associated with online shopping, Axios reports.

Among them is a shopping assistant that culls the entire catalog to identify which products would be most ideal for, say, decorating a dorm room or planning a party. Walmart intends to begin testing this feature over the coming weeks.

Generative AI could also be used to help visitors visualize products from still imagery. Transforming photos into 3D objects, Walmart could help shoppers imagine what it’s like to hold an item in their hand or have a piece of furniture placed in a virtual reconstruction of their room. Such a technique, as opposed to traditional modeling methods, would cut down processing time from days or weeks to mere minutes, as well as save the company hundreds of dollars per product.

Image generated by DesignTAXI for illustration purpose

In addition, through 3D reconstructions, customers could have a look at what apparel would look like on virtual models.

Besides experimenting with how AI can improve the shopping experience, Walmart has recently rolled new generative tools as aids for its 50,000 corporate employees. These include a ‘My Assistant’ program, which takes over “monotonous, repetitive tasks” like summarizing and drafting up documents to allow staffers to focus on enhancing customer service.

Walmart says it is exploring all sorts of options to utilize generative AI in the most effective and economical way. “We believe in being Switzerland,” noted the company’s executive vice president of global technology Cheryl Ainoa.

[via Axios and Insider, cover photo 232588560 © Sergei Elagin | Dreamstime.com]