Tool will become a 'one-stop shop for associates to access information they need on demand'
Walmart Canada is banking on artificial intelligence to make work a little easier for their workers.
The retail corporation has launched an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot for secure internal use for all home office-based associates.
“As a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer, we’re always looking for ways to integrate technology into our daily lives to help simplify and modernize our ways of working,” said Michon Williams, chief technology officer at Walmart Canada. “We want to lean into this technology to help our associates simplify tasks in their day-to-day.”
In July, Hunna Technology, a U.K.-headquartered health tech startup, unveiled AI to act as the CEO of a company.
Called “My Assistant”, Walmart’s AI-powered tool can help free up time from daily tedious tasks, such as drafting content and summarizing large documents or meeting notes.
This will allow workers to “shift focus to more complex operations that require big thinking and creative solutions,” according to the company.
Walmart is aiming for the tool to eventually serve as even more of a self-service tool for associates, with full integration with the company’s intranet and HR platforms. They want it to be “a ‘one-stop shop’ for associates to access information they need on demand”.
“There are so many different use cases for Gen AI and we can’t wait to see how our associates use it,” said Williams. “We’re encouraging everyone to lean into this new technology; try it out, see what works, and how it can enhance the way we work.”
AnnMarie Mercer, CPO at Walmart Canada, meanwhile, guaranteed that the new tool will in no way replace workers.
“We’re excited to embrace this new technology,” said Mercer. “For Walmart Canada, Gen AI is not a replacement for human work or thinking. It’s a tool associates can leverage to complement the way we work and improve our productivity.”
One Walmart employee is already looking forward to using the new AI-powered tool.
“So excited for this rollout,” said Rachael Neumayer, senior manager for communications at Walmart Canada, via LinkedIn. “Can’t wait to see how everyone uses it and how it will evolve.”
Calls for employers to come up with policies and training on generative AI are getting louder amid the growing use of the emerging tech among employees across workplaces, according to a previous report.
With 70% of workers already using GenAI in the workplace, less than half are receiving any form of GenAI guidance from their employers, reported The Adecco Group.
