Xin Hua She·2026-01-12 07:35Group 1 - Google announced a collaboration with major retailers like Walmart to enhance its Gemini AI model's shopping capabilities, transforming it from a "smart assistant" to a "virtual merchant" capable of completing transactions directly [2] - The Gemini application will introduce an "instant checkout" feature, allowing consumers to purchase products from select retailers within the chat interface without needing to navigate away from the app [2] - Walmart's incoming president and CEO, John Furner, stated that the shift from traditional web or app searches to "agent-driven commerce" represents a significant evolution in the retail industry [2] Group 2 - The announcement was made at the National Retail Federation's annual conference, which is expected to attract around 40,000 attendees from the retail and technology sectors, with a focus on AI's application in e-commerce and its impact on consumer behavior [3] - Companies like Google, OpenAI, and Amazon are competing to develop AI shopping tools, aiming to establish chatbots as new entry points for e-commerce [3] - Google's Gemini AI shopping features will initially be available only to U.S. users, with plans to expand to international markets in the coming months [3]