Walmart's Secret to Job Retention Amid AI Adoption

The core of this strategy is to retrain existing employees whose jobs might be eliminated by AI and redeploy them into new roles. Walmart aims to proactively respond to technological advancements in a way that does not lead to job losses.

This training includes frontline workers in stores and fulfillment centers, and a pilot training program in collaboration with OpenAI has been introduced. Additionally, Google's AI certification courses have been adopted as in-house training programs to help employees strengthen their AI capabilities.

In addition to features that help employees with clocking in/out and schedule management, AI functionality has been added to allow instant search for necessary work information through natural language queries. The app also uses AI to analyze in-store camera data, providing employees with alerts about unusual situations or required actions, thereby increasing operational efficiency.

Through this tool, non-developers can input natural language to generate custom work apps they need. Code Puppy currently has approximately 755,000 cumulative users and is contributing to the discovery of new AI use cases in various fields such as stores, logistics, and transportation. By enabling employees to develop customized AI solutions tailored to on-site needs, innovation is encouraged.

With a rapid increase in users of AI tools like Code Puppy, Walmart set a token limit for each employee starting in June 2026. This is to prevent excessive resource consumption and ensure efficient operation. Furthermore, to prevent the creation of duplicate tools, employees are encouraged to search for existing tools before creating new ones. Tools with repetitive request functionalities are integrated into a central platform to streamline management.

As a result of these efforts, this goal was achieved early, in July of this year. To transition these employees into technical roles, Walmart operates the H2T (High-Tech to Tech) technical training program, actively supporting employees in enhancing their job competencies. This initiative aims to efficiently reorganize the workforce structure in the AI era and provide new growth opportunities for employees.