New Features Include Real-Time Translation and Augmented Reality
Walmart announced on Tuesday, June 24, that it is deploying a new suite of artificial intelligence tools designed to enhance operations and improve communication between store associates and customers. Among the most notable additions is a real-time translation feature supporting 44 languages, aimed at streamlining multilingual interactions across its 10,750+ stores worldwide.
The move is part of Walmart’s broader AI integration strategy and represents the latest step in modernizing its workforce technology. According to the company’s press release, AI tools have already been in use for several years, but the new rollout significantly upgrades functionality and scale.
Key Features of the AI Suite
- Real-Time Translation: Enables text-to-text and speech-to-speech conversations between associates and customers. The system includes Walmart-specific terms, ensuring brand references like “Great Value” are accurately maintained in translation.
- Conversational AI Platform Upgrade: Originally launched five years ago to handle basic questions, Walmart’s internal chatbot now supports more complex queries and provides detailed step-by-step instructions. It currently sees over 3 million queries per day from more than 900,000 weekly users.
- Augmented Reality Tool: Designed to help associates locate and restock merchandise more efficiently, especially in the apparel section. The feature uses visual overlays to guide employees directly to items on the sales floor.
Powered by Walmart’s In-House AI Engine
All new capabilities are built on Element, Walmart’s proprietary machine learning platform. The company has used Element to quietly embed AI across multiple areas of its business — from warehouse logistics to corporate decision-making — and is now leveraging that experience at the store level.
“These tools aren’t just smart, they’re Walmart-smart,” the company said in the announcement, highlighting that the AI models are trained on data specific to the retailer’s product catalog, operations, and brand ecosystem.
Continued Innovation in Retail Tech
The AI tool rollout comes on the heels of Walmart’s recent drone delivery expansion, which will add five new U.S. cities to the service, joining Dallas, Texas and Bentonville, Arkansas. As part of its broader digital transformation, Walmart continues to compete aggressively with Amazon and emerging players like Temu and Shein in both logistics and customer experience.
