Walmart + OpenAI = AI Training at Scale

Walmart, the largest private employer in the U.S., is making one of the boldest moves yet in corporate AI adoption. In partnership with OpenAI, the retailer will begin offering free, customized AI certifications to its more than 2 million frontline and office employees in 2026.

The program is part of the company’s nearly $1 billion commitment to training through 2026 and ties directly to OpenAI’s goal of certifying 10 million Americans by 2030.

By combining AI adoption at scale, a people-first philosophy, and certification as currency, Walmart is reframing how organizations can prepare their entire workforce for an AI-powered future.

AI Transformation Only Works When It Scales Through Training

AI adoption inside organizations often begins with pilots and experiments, but Walmart is showing what it looks like to scale. Over the past year, the company has ​rolled out a company-wide AI framework with “super agents”​ that support customers, suppliers, associates, and developers. It has also launched conversational AI tools to improve internal processes. Yet executives, including CEO Doug McMillon, have acknowledged that the financial benefits have not yet appeared. “I don’t think it’s lifting our top-line sales yet…this is very early days”.

The certification program is designed to change that. By making AI literacy a measurable part of Walmart Academy, the company ensures that tools are not just deployed but used effectively. CTO Suresh Kumar captured the shift when he wrote: ​“When AI is no longer the domain of a few experts and it becomes a language many can speak, everything changes”​.

The lesson: AI transformation only becomes real when it reaches the scale of the workforce through structured training.

Companies Prove Their Values By Investing In People

Walmart’s framing of this partnership is deliberate: it is not only a technology story, but a people story. ​"Because being people-led means investing in you. With these new learning opportunities, you can develop the skills to succeed and grow,"​ wrote CPO Donna Morris. John Furner, U.S. President and CEO, added: ​“The future of retail won’t be defined by technology alone—it will be defined by people who know how to use it”​.

This emphasis matters. AI is often introduced as an efficiency tool, a way to reduce costs or automate tasks. But Walmart’s executives are making the opposite case: AI should empower associates, help them grow careers, and strengthen customer relationships. The company has already invested nearly $1 billion in training and operates Walmart Academy, the largest private training program in the world with more than 3.5 million participants. Adding an AI certification is not replacing this foundation but extending it.

The lesson: organizations that want durable adoption must position AI as an investment in people, not a threat to them. When associates believe training will help them thrive in their jobs and lives, they engage with transformation rather than resist it.

Skills Become Currency When They Are Trusted

For both employers and employees, the credibility of AI skills is becoming critical. A ​Microsoft​ survey found that 71% of business leaders would prefer a less-experienced candidate with AI skills to a more-experienced candidate without them. Yet many upskilling programs fail because certifications do not carry weight with employers.

OpenAI is attempting to solve this with a standardized certification system, integrated into its OpenAI Academy and backed by major employers like Walmart. The company ​aims to certify 10 million Americans by 2030​, offering levels from basic fluency to prompt engineering and custom jobs. Walmart will use a tailored version to certify frontline and office workers, embedding proof of skills directly into its workforce.

For employees, this means certifications that improve both internal mobility and external competitiveness in the job market. For Walmart, it means a more credible signal to customers, partners, and regulators that the company is equipping its people to handle advanced technology responsibly.

The lesson: treat AI certification as a new form of workplace currency. It creates trust between workers and employers, improves career mobility, and sets a clear benchmark for adoption readiness.

The Bottom Line

Walmart’s collaboration with OpenAI is more than a training initiative. It is a case study in how to turn AI disruption into organizational resilience. By embedding AI skills into the heart of its workforce, Walmart is preparing not just for efficiency gains but for long-term transformation. Walmart’s case shows that large-scale organizations can act decisively to prepare millions of workers, and in doing so, set a standard that others may follow.

For leaders in any industry, the takeaway is clear:

• Start Small but Build at Scale. Do not leave AI in a pilot bubble.
• Invest in People. Make training a strategic priority, not a side project. (​And we can help!​)
• Create Clear Currency. Use certification to turn skills into value both inside and outside the company.

Walmart’s roadmap suggests that the future of AI in organizations will be written not by algorithms alone, but by people with the skills and confidence to use them.

I track what’s worth your attention—bringing you the news and updates that matter most to how we work, lead, and grow.

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​Zapier’s Shift From Adoption to Transformation​

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🚨 This conversation is not distributed publicly. Available exclusively to Lead with AI PRO members.

👉 Register ​HERE​ (Free trial available for 2 weeks).

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