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The exterior of a Walmart store in Los Angeles, California, on August 20. / Source: EPA-Yonhap News

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon has predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) will replace nearly every type of job, while also creating new roles within the company, the Wall Street Journal reported on September 26.

Speaking at a human resources conference held at Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, McMillon told executives from other firms that while certain retail jobs may disappear, new types of work will emerge.

“There may be jobs in the world that AI won’t change, but I can’t think of any right now,” he said.

Walmart’s top management is closely reviewing how AI affects its workforce in most strategic planning meetings. Executives are tracking which roles are likely to decline, grow, or remain stable, in order to identify how to best support employees through training and reskilling.

Despite the changes, the company expects to maintain roughly the same global headcount. Chief People Officer Donna Morris said Walmart plans to keep its workforce at around 2.1 million employees over the next three years, though job structures will shift significantly. Specific plans, however, are still under development.

Walmart has already deployed an AI-powered chatbot, dubbed “Agent,” for customers, suppliers, and workers. In July, the company also hired Daniel Danker, a former Instacart executive, as Global Head of AI Acceleration and Product Design to oversee its AI-driven supply chain and product trend analysis initiatives.