Customers will have two options for controlling purchases. They can require approval before every transaction or authorize an agent to make purchases independently within a predetermined spending limit. Walmart cited limits of $50, $100 and $200 as examples, and users will be able to remove an agent's access by deleting its profile.
Walmart compared the arrangement to giving another person authorized access to a credit card. The approach allows AI assistants to complete purchases while leaving customers in control of how much the agents can spend and whether individual transactions require permission.
The announcement puts Walmart on a different path from Amazon, which has restricted outside AI shopping agents from accessing its marketplace. While Walmart is preparing to accommodate third-party assistants, Amazon has focused on its own shopping technology, including Alexa for Shopping and its Buy for Me feature.
Amazon's restrictions have already affected several AI developers. Last month, the company blocked Meta's Muse from accessing its shopping platform, displaying a notice that unauthorized automated agents violate its terms of use.
The retailer has also taken legal action against Perplexity. In November 2025, Amazon sued the AI startup over its Comet browser agent, alleging that the software made purchases on Amazon without properly identifying itself. Amazon has additionally sought to limit shopping agents developed by Google and OpenAI.
Walmart's approach instead creates a formal mechanism for customers to authorize external assistants. Rather than blocking automated purchasing altogether, the retailer is introducing account-level controls intended to manage the permissions and spending authority of individual agents.
The development comes as major AI companies expand the capabilities of their assistants beyond generating responses. AI agents can perform sequences of actions, including researching products, comparing prices and completing transactions, with varying levels of human involvement.
Meta introduced Muse in September, initially limiting availability to the United States and Canada. The assistant has since exceeded 10 million downloads, according to Sensor Tower's analysis of third-party data.
Other companies are introducing similar products. Anthropic announced a research preview of Claude Duet on Wednesday, offering an assistant that can operate across connected applications, monitor ongoing work and complete online purchases with user authorization.
OpenAI introduced Dots last month, adding another autonomous assistant designed to manage tasks over time. Google is also among the technology companies investing in AI systems capable of taking actions across applications and services.
These developments are bringing greater attention to how online retailers handle purchases initiated by software rather than customers directly. Allowing an AI assistant to complete transactions introduces questions about spending authorization, account access and how shoppers can monitor automated activity.
Walmart's Agent Profiles feature addresses those concerns through separate agent identities and customer-defined purchasing restrictions. The ability to revoke access also gives shoppers a way to stop an assistant from making additional purchases through their accounts.
The contrasting approaches taken by Walmart and Amazon highlight a practical difference in how the retailers are handling autonomous shopping. Walmart is preparing to let customers authorize external AI agents under defined conditions, while Amazon continues restricting third-party access and developing its own automated shopping tools.
Walmart has not yet launched Agent Profiles, but its planned release within the next month will give customers a new way to manage AI-assisted purchases. The feature establishes a framework for outside agents to shop through Walmart accounts without giving them unrestricted purchasing authority.
This analysis is based on reporting from Yahoo Finance courtesy of AFP & the tech buzz.
Image courtesy of Unsplash.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
