Walmart launches OpenAI certification as it expands associate training

Walmart is betting that its AI push will matter only if hourly workers can actually use it on the floor. The company has launched an OpenAI certification program, and the first Walmart associate to earn it is veteran worker Darlene Lane, a signal that the retailer wants the training to reach beyond corporate tech teams and into store-level jobs.

Lane’s certification gives Walmart a proof point for a broader question hanging over the program: whether AI training becomes a real career step or just one more expectation layered onto already busy shifts. Walmart has described the tools as easier to use than many associates might expect, and its talent leaders have framed AI as something meant to remove friction, speed up learning, and support better decisions.

The certification sits inside a much larger workforce strategy. Walmart says it is investing $1 billion in career-driven training and education by 2026, and the company says 90% of its U.S. roles do not require a degree. It also says 75% of its salaried store, club and supply chain managers in the United States started as hourly associates, a statistic the company uses to argue that practical training can lead to higher-paying jobs in store and club management, truck driving, pharmacy technician work and HVAC technician roles.

The AI rollout is not new to Walmart workers. On June 24, 2025, the company said it was deploying AI-powered tools across its U.S. associate base, including real-time translation in 44 languages and task-management software that cut shift-planning time from 90 minutes to 30 minutes. Walmart said those tools were aimed at 1.5 million U.S. associates, making this one of the largest frontline AI training efforts in retail.

Walmart has also been building the habit of AI use internally for years. On January 9, 2024, it said it was expanding its My Assistant generative-AI tool to 11 countries and expected 25,000 international associates to have access that year. By September 4, 2025, the company said its collaboration with OpenAI would offer free, customized AI training and certifications to U.S. associates, and by October 14, 2025, it said it was among the first partners to embrace OpenAI Certifications while rolling out ChatGPT Enterprise to teams across the company.

For store managers and hourly workers, the real measure of the program is simple: who gets access, how much time the training takes, and whether the credential opens a path to new responsibilities or just adds another digital tool to the day. Walmart’s own workforce history suggests the stakes are high, with more than 300,000 associates having stayed more than 10 years and more than 60,000 building careers that span 25 years or more. The new certification will be judged by whether it helps the next group move up too.