Walmart has announced plans to roll out four “super agents” powered by agentic AI to improve the experience for shoppers, employees, suppliers and sellers. That begs the question: What exactly is agentic AI, and why are companies suddenly investing in it?
Agentic AI is a class of artificial intelligence that can make decisions and perform tasks without (or with minimal) aid from humans.
Walmart’s Plan
Walmart’s goal is for agentic AI to be the primary way in which people engage with the retailer, according to a recent article by MSN. Walmart will utilize four separate agents that have different functions. One of the agents, Sparky, is already available, and it engages with shoppers. It can reportedly provide customers with product suggestions for a specific activity, find the right type of ink for their printer, or summarize product reviews, to name a few.
Walmart also has three other super agents it will be rolling out: the “Associate”, which will allow staff to do tasks like submit an application for parental leave or find immediate information on sales data; “Marty” is being developed for sellers, suppliers and advertisers and will help streamline the onboarding process, manage orders and create campaigns; and “Developer,” which will be where all future AI tools are tested, built and launched, per MSN.
Why are Retailers Investing in Agentic AI?
Sai Koppala, CMO at CommerceIQ, says retailers believe so strongly in agentic AI because it has the ability to significantly improve operational efficiency to reduce waste and improve margins. Additionally, it will streamline and personalize the consumer experience, which reduces friction for the consumer and improves conversion.
This simultaneously drives higher revenue while increasing operational efficiency at a lower operating cost.
“It’s a win/win for retailers,” Koppala told The Food Institute.
Unnat Bak, founder and chief AI Officer at Revscale AI, said that agentic AI has the potential to transform how businesses engage with customers, especially in the food and hospitality industry. Retailers like Walmart are betting big on agentic AI because it allows them to move beyond static recommendation engines or simple chatbots.
Steve Morris, CEO of NEWMEDIA.com, said retailers are especially excited about agentic AI because of one main thing: scale.
“Walmart isn’t just looking for small improvements; they’re updating how they run everything so they can keep costs low and adapt quickly. And it pays off. Companies that invest in unified, AI-driven data systems make better, faster decisions than their competitors,” Morris noted.
How Can the Food Industry Take Advantage?
There appear to be many ways in which the food industry can benefit from agentic AI. For example, helping manage dietary preferences, reordering kitchen supplies based on real-time inventory, and helping improving customer service.
Many F&B brands have already started using AI agents to improve the quality of support while reducing costs.
“Here’s what a lot of business owners fail to understand. Agentic AI isn’t just another dashboard or chatbot. It’s on a totally different level,” Morris said.
“This is a system that can actually take action on its own, pull together info from all over (like menus, supplier data, sales numbers, health codes), and fix problems before your staff even notices them,” Morris added. “In foodservice, we’ve seen agentic AI handle tricky order customizations, making sure the point-of-sale system, kitchen, and delivery staff are all in sync. This has cut errors and delays nearly in half.”
Experts say that, with agentic AI, most manual fixes aren’t needed anymore. Tables turn over faster. And customers pick up on the difference.
“One of our clients saw their average wait for food at the table go down from 15 minutes to 10,” Morris said.
Agentic AI, in the opinion of many, could be invaluable in the very near future.
“Businesses not exploring agentic AI are going to fall behind, not because of the technology itself, but because of what it unlocks: faster response times, fewer errors, better personalization, and reduced staffing strain,” Bak said.
“My advice to those not using it yet is to stop waiting for a perfect platform. Start by identifying high-friction workflows where intelligent automation could deliver quick wins, and build from there. Agentic AI gives businesses a real and immediate competitive edge.”
The Food Institute Podcast
It’s a big world out there – what trends are percolating on the global scene? JP Hartmann, director of Anuga, joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss the intersection of U.S. and international trends and how the Anuga show is one not to miss.
