While Amazon blocks AI agents, Walmart rolls out the welcome mat

Walmart announced an Agent Gateway that lets approved AI agents search its online inventory and make purchases for customers through the Model Context Protocol, or MCP. The system will support shopping at Walmart and Sam’s Club, CEO John Furner said at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco. MCP, created by Anthropic, connects AI agents to external data sources, tools and workflows. Walmart said its gateway can help customers buy usual brands or items without directly sharing personal information or purchase histories with an agent. Agent Profiles, scheduled to roll out next month, will let Walmart account holders authorize each AI agent through a separate profile, view agent-initiated purchases separately, and set approval rules. Customers can require approval for every transaction or permit purchases up to a spending limit, and they can delete profiles at any time. The service will not require a Walmart+ membership. Walmart is also establishing terms that limit agents to shopper-authorized actions, bar access to payment information, and restrict access to information needed for a task. Noncompliant agents will be blocked. Walmart said its normal returns process applies when an agent makes an unintended purchase. The rollout follows Amazon’s move to block AI agents from buying goods for online shoppers, while Walmart already supports integrations with apps including ChatGPT and Gemini.