A product achieves a consumer-grade experience when users can operate it without requiring third-party training or input.

This experience typically involves the product featuring streamlined processes that enable users to take action with minimal steps, offering aesthetics that are pleasing, intuitive and easily accessible. Conversely, enterprise-level software often lacks these qualities, indicating a need for transformation.

The importance of providing a consumer-grade experience for employees that allows them to access all necessary functions in a single application is critical, according to David Glick (pictured), senior vice president of enterprise business services at Walmart Inc.

“How do we bring this together in a consumer-grade application for our associates – we call that Me@Campus,” he said. “They should be able to do everything they need to do from an HR and finance and enterprise perspective in that app. As part of that, we shipped last month My Assistant, and that gives them the ability to safely put in whatever experimentation they want to do with gen AI.”

Glick spoke with theCUBE industry analyst Rob Strechay at Supercloud 4, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed using artificial intelligence to improve efficiency and user experience while prioritizing security and human input.

Implementing AI

The implementation of AI technology, specifically the use of GPT-4, allowed Walmart to achieve impressive results in a short amount of time, according to Glick. Furthermore, the firm managed to surpass what could not have been accomplished in months or years without it.

Using AI chatbots to summarize and provide information from a benefits guide has significantly improved the efficiency of Walmart’s help desk. Deployment of chatbots ensured that questions are answered with the same quality provided by humans, but much faster overall, Glick explained.

“There’s good things and bad things about gen-AI, but the magic is you can go fast,” Glick said. “One of the engineers said, ‘I’m going to try this over the weekend, and Monday morning we’re able to answer 95% of the top 200 benefits questions just as good as the agent did with the AI.’”

AI chatbots are in reality virtual assistants incorporating natural language processing algorithms. Presently, customer service across retail heavily relies on AI-driven solutions. For instance, individuals can utilize chatbots, automated speech systems and virtual desks to accomplish tasks such as registration, allocation, eligibility verification, status checks and much more, according to Glick.

Handling security concerns

As AI progresses and becomes a fundamental aspect of different business procedures, it presents distinct challenges for the cybersecurity aspect of a business. In a time when data is vital to numerous enterprises, protecting AI not only safeguards the credibility of the technology but also guarantees the privacy, accessibility and dependability of delicate information and activities. In this regard, security was a paramount consideration when Walmart built out its AI models, Glick explained.

“Security is job one. We want to keep our people’s data private, we want to keep our company data private,” he said. “So, we built the right firewalls and we built the right guardrails around it. Whatever large language model we use, we keep our data inside our own firewall.”

Walmart is finding ways to make things easier for customers and associates by delivering products to their homes and simplifying processes, with the goal of providing delightful experiences, according to Glick. Suggesting that simplifying processes and providing easy access to information could be the next breakthrough for Walmart.

It is crucial to have a CEO who emphasizes the significance of technology while also recognizing the value of human input, Glick added. Certain tasks, such as analyzing health benefit changes, can be efficiently handled by technology rather than having an employee spend hours on them. Providing tools for employees to effectively do their jobs, such as summarizing lengthy documents, can increase productivity and make work more enjoyable. While Walmart has often been overlooked as a technology company, despite its large engineering team, the company is aiming to utilize AI to streamline all business processes.

“My last thought is watch out for Walmart: We are big tech. Maybe you don’t think of us in the same breath as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, the West Coast companies, but we’ve got a big engineering team,” Glick said. “We’ve got 25,000 engineers focused on making the lives of our customers better and making the lives of our associates better. And gen AI is a great tool, which is going to allow us to do this really well.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Supercloud 4:

Photo: SiliconANGLE