"The largest employer in the United States" will "not hire" for the next three years! Walmart CEO "frankly stated": AI will change all positions

The largest private employer in the United States, Walmart, is facing challenges from workforce transformations brought about by AI. Company executives have made it clear that AI technology will eliminate certain jobs and reshape the entire workforce, marking a significant shift in large enterprises' attitudes towards the employment impact of AI. On September 26, it was reported that Walmart CEO Doug McMillon provided one of the most direct assessments by a CEO of a major company regarding the impact of AI on employment this week. He stated: "AI will change every job, that is very clear. There may be jobs in the world that AI won't change, but I can't think of any." As a countermeasure, Walmart plans to maintain the overall size of its approximately 2.1 million global employees over the next three years. The company's Chief Human Resources Officer, Donna Morris, stated that while the total number of employees remains stable, the composition of jobs will undergo significant changes. This statement reflects the rapid shift in how business leaders discuss the labor costs associated with AI technology. Several companies, including Ford, JP Morgan, and Amazon, have begun to directly predict layoffs related to AI and advise other employers to prepare for changes in their workforce. A Comprehensive Review of AI's Impact on Jobs Reports indicate that Walmart executives have begun to examine the impact of AI on the workforce in nearly every high-level planning meeting. Company leadership is tracking which types of jobs will decrease, increase, or remain stable to assess where additional training and preparation are needed. McMillon stated at an employee meeting held this week at Walmart's Bentonville headquarters: "Our goal is to create opportunities for everyone so that all can successfully transition to the new era." Walmart has built chatbots for customers, suppliers, and employees, which the company refers to as "agents." The company is also leveraging AI to track a larger share of supply chain and product trends. Some changes have already created ripple effects within the workforce. In recent years, Walmart has automated many warehouses with the help of AI-related technologies, leading to some job reductions. At the same time, new positions are being created. For example, Walmart created the position of "agent builder" last month—specifically to build AI tools to assist employees of merchants. The company expects to increase personnel in areas such as home delivery or high-contact customer service positions (like bakeries). In recent years, Walmart has also added positions for in-store maintenance technicians and truck drivers. McMillon stated that the pace of change across the industry will be gradual. For instance, customer service tasks in call centers and online chat functions will soon become more reliant on AI, while other tasks will not. He also mentioned that despite the company's recent promotion of robotic employees, "before we serve humanoid robots and they have purchasing power, we serve humans." The Industry's General Embrace of AI Transformation Elsewhere in the corporate world, executives are pushing companies to fully embrace AI technology. Some companies have created internal "heat maps" to interpret which roles or tasks may be automated by AI, while others are encouraging employees to propose new projects Agricultural company Syngenta has identified "lighthouse" projects in areas such as R&D and supply chain functions that are suitable for AI reform. Recently, media reports indicate that warnings about AI-related layoffs have increased in recent months. Global IT consulting giant Accenture's CEO Julie Sweet told investors on Thursday that the company is "phasing out" employees who cannot be retrained for the AI era. Ford Motor Company's CEO Jim Farley stated this summer: "Artificial intelligence will replace half of America's white-collar workers." OpenAI's chief economist Ronnie Chatterji mentioned at the Bentonville conference: "AI has just begun to create ripple effects in the job market. I believe you will see a greater impact within 18 to 36 months." Despite anxiety among employees and leaders, many executives state that the U.S. labor market remains healthy, and they do not expect AI to lead to mass unemployment. Blackstone Group's global head of private equity Joe Baratta said at the Bentonville conference: "I believe the history of technological innovation shows that people have reskilled and found profitable employment opportunities in other areas of the economy."