Walmart Generative AI Search
Walmart showcased a new generative AI plans search feature, among other new technological upgrades, at CES this year. The new search feature is designed to enhance customer experiences by allowing users to seek out products based on specific use cases rather than traditional products or brand names.
Main Points
The generative AI search feature will bring more pertinent and wide-ranging results than the usual keyword system, according to Walmart. The company cites planning for a football watch party as an example. Typing that into the new search function would bring up all the necessary items in one go—as opposed to just items that have football in their name.
The new feature employs a blend of Walmart’s proprietary data and technology, with large language models (LLMs) accessed through Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and tailor-made retail-specific models. The search tool is also fine-tuned to deliver a bespoke list of products aligned with shopper intent. It will even respond based on more specific factors such as location, search history, and other contextual data to refine the results.
Walmart is also piloting a generative AI-based system for streamlining the replenishment of frequently purchased items. This InHome Replenishment tool relies on AI to preemptively fill shopping carts with the right items at the right time, mirroring a personal shopping assistant’s foresight. The service delivers items straight to customers’ fridges or garages via the smart lock-powered InHome delivery service—without binding customers to a subscription.
Conclusion
Walmart has been hinting at a generative AI-powered shopping assistant for some time, and the search feature moves the company in that direction. The ultimate vision by the retail giant is to also help with decorating homes by creating 3D models of products from images. Walmart’s connection to AI goes back several years, and the company continues to expand its AI capabilities to enhance both customer experiences and workplace productivity.