Walmart has moved to reassure its 2.1m employees that artificial intelligence will improve their roles, rather than threaten them, as it accelerates its use of AI across the business.

The US giant, which is the country’s largest private sector employer, used its annual Associates Week gathering in Arkansas to set out how AI is being used across areas including product design, logistics, store operations and customer service.

The company also announced that any US member of staff can now become certified in the use of OpenAI tools.

The push comes amid growing concern over the impact AI could have on jobs, particularly entry-level and administrative roles. According to job placement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, AI has been the leading reason US companies have cited for job cuts over the past three months.

Walmart shareholders also used the retailer’s annual general meeting on Thursday to call for a report into how AI could affect workers, although the proposal was voted down.

The business has recently announced hundreds of lay-offs across its technology and product design teams, but has not linked the cuts to AI.

Speaking to thousands of employees at the company’s Arkansas headquarters, Walmart chief people officer Donna Morris said staff would remain central to the retailer’s future.

“Technology will power our future. But our associates will lead it,” she said.

Walmart stepped up its AI investment last year with the appointment of Daniel Danker, formerly of grocery technology firm Instacart, as executive vice-president for AI acceleration, product and design.

Danker said AI could help the retailer move from a fixed approach to stocking and shipping products towards a more predictive model, allowing Walmart to better anticipate spikes in demand.

He said the ambition was for the retailer to be able to react quickly to shifts such as sudden heatwaves, making relevant products available for delivery in 30 minutes or less.

Managers also highlighted examples of AI being used to reduce empty miles for freight drivers, summarise customer feedback for product development and support self-checkout systems that can identify loose produce without bar codes.

Incoming chief executive John Furner also praised two Walmart engineers who built a “vibe coding” platform now being used across the company, enabling hourly-paid employees to create code to solve business problems.

Walmart’s embrace of AI has helped fuel investor enthusiasm, with the retailer recently becoming the first bricks-and-mortar business to exceed $1tn in market value.

However, labour groups have raised concerns over how quickly the technology is being rolled out.

United for Respect, which sponsored the shareholder proposal, argued that the company should publish more detail on AI’s impact on workers. Walmart employee Ava Williams, speaking on behalf of the group, said a rushed rollout of new tools risked increasing pressure on staff.

“We are not asking Walmart to stop using technology. We’re asking for technology that works for us, not against us,” she said.

Walmart’s global workforce has declined slightly over the past five years, despite revenue rising by $151bn to $713bn in 2025.

A Walmart spokesperson said the retailer expected to remain a major employer, adding that while the future was uncertain, the company had long operated at significant scale.

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