Walmart shareholders have rejected a proposal that would have required the retail giant to provide greater transparency on how artificial intelligence is affecting its workforce, according to voting results released after the company’s annual shareholder meeting.
The proposal, submitted by advocacy investor group United for Respect, called on Walmart to disclose how it evaluates the impact of AI and automation on employees, including areas such as jobs, wages, training opportunities, workplace equity and career advancement.
Shareholders ultimately voted against the measure after the company recommended its rejection.
The vote came at a time when Walmart is rapidly expanding its use of AI across stores, warehouses and supply chain operations. As the largest private employer in the United States, with approximately 1.6 million workers, Walmart’s approach to workplace automation is being closely watched by investors, labor advocates and the broader retail industry.
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In recent years, the company has introduced a range of AI-powered tools aimed at improving efficiency and reducing costs. These include inventory systems that automatically detect stock shortages and trigger replenishment, predictive models that forecast consumer demand, and automated distribution centers that now handle freight for a majority of Walmart stores. The retailer has also increased automation in its e-commerce fulfilment network and rolled out AI-driven employee training programs.
Company executives have pointed to tangible benefits from these investments. Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey has previously said that automation and technology upgrades have helped lower shipping expenses, contributing to sustained cost reductions across the business.
According to United for Respect, Walmart’s aggressive push into AI makes it increasingly important to understand how automation is changing the employee experience. In its proposal, the group noted that Walmart has publicly described AI as central to its long-term strategy and has embedded the technology throughout its operations, from logistics and hiring to employee scheduling, training and task management.
The investor group also highlighted Walmart’s recent move to introduce an algorithm-based system for determining annual pay increases for hourly workers. The new model, implemented in late 2025, replaced a tenure-based approach and marked a significant shift in how compensation decisions are made for a large segment of the workforce.
According to the proposal, such changes reflect the increasing influence of automated systems on employment outcomes. While Walmart has adopted a Responsible AI Pledge that emphasizes principles such as fairness, transparency, privacy, security and human oversight, the group argued that investors still lack sufficient information about how those commitments are being implemented and monitored in practice.
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Supporters of the proposal also pointed to broader concerns surrounding workplace automation. As the research has suggested that many retail jobs contain tasks that could be automated in the coming years, potentially affecting job quality, wage growth, training opportunities and workforce mobility. Studies have also raised concerns that algorithm-driven management systems may introduce bias, increase workplace pressures and reduce transparency if not carefully governed.
United for Respect contended that these risks are particularly significant given Walmart’s scale, where even small policy changes can affect hundreds of thousands of employees. The group said investors would benefit from a clearer understanding of the company’s governance framework, workforce impact assessments and the metrics it uses to evaluate the effects of AI on employees.
Walmart, however, maintained that additional reporting was unnecessary. The company told shareholders that it already provides extensive disclosures related to workforce strategy, employee safety, AI governance, supply chain oversight and public policy engagement. It argued that existing reporting gives investors sufficient visibility into its approach to managing technology-related risks and opportunities.