Maren Waggoner, Walmart’s senior vice president and chief officer for associate and digital experience, speaks with CNBC’s Leslie Picker at the CNBC 2026 Workforce Executive Summit in New York City on October 27, 2026.
CNBC
As enterprise AI investments continue to grow, companies of all sizes are trying to understand how their employees relate to technology in the workplace.
WalmartThe largest private employer in the world, asked 2.1 million associates in June the right question for the first time, trying to get a sense of how one of the most diverse workforce is experiencing AI.
What they found, based on more than 1.7 million survey responses, is that when workers have a level of familiarity and comfort with AI, they have training and experience with the technology.
Seventy-seven percent of Walmart’s office-based associates say they are excited about AI’s potential to improve their jobs, Walmart Chief People Officer for Associate Experience and Digital Maren Wagoner told CNBC’s Leslie Picker at the 2026 CNBC Workforce Executive Council Summit in New York City.
And for Walmart’s U.S. frontline partners, 84% said they were confident in using digital tools, a reflection of the AI-powered tools they now use in their roles, he said.
“We’ve given them certification, we’ve given them training programs and tools, and so they can use it in their day-to-day lives,” Wagoner said.
In the last 13 months, Walmart has partnered with Google and OpenAI on AI learning and certification programs for partners at no cost. Wagoner said a friend who took OpenAI training said they gained 27% confidence using AI.
That has helped Walmart tap into some of the larger trends around AI across the country. While about 52% of US adults say they are more concerned than excited about AI, according to an August 2026 Pew Research Center poll, Walmart associates report greater comfort and excitement, Walmart data shows.
“Providing them with tools, providing them with training; they feel more confident,” Wagoner said.
While AI may be the biggest technological revolution Walmart has undergone in its 64-year history, Wagoner says the company’s transformational approach remains the same.
“We have a pretty bold mission statement about being a people-led, technology-driven omni-channel retailer that’s ultimately dedicated to saving money,” he said. “People-led and technology-led cuts have been around for a long time.”
Many workers across the economy say they fear AI will replace their jobs. While Wagoner said Walmart is finding ways to use AI to automate processes in fulfillment centers, for example, the retailer’s efforts with the technology are to “reduce some of that friction and use robotics to help, and then focus a lot on human work.”
In fact, Wagoner says, at the company’s innovation lab in Dallas, Texas, automated efforts to reduce physical tasks previously performed by humans have created more of a quality assurance-type role than more job losses.
And on the store front line, Wagoner said Walmart has found that customers “actually like to talk to a human at checkout.”
This allows partners to focus their efforts on using AI to solve customer challenges.
Wagoner pointed to a store manager in Mexico he met earlier this year who built his own AI agent to look at reports and drive sales of fresh produce.
“They’re using the tools, but they’re still running the store,” he said. “The store manager’s job is still there. They’re using tools and technology to drive their business. And by the way, fresh sales are through the roof.”