On August 20th, Walmart CEO John Furner stated that he firmly believes artificial intelligence will optimize nearly all of the company's businesses, enhance the shopping experience for customers, and reduce the workload for employees. During a conference call with analysts, he cited the AI shopping assistant Sparky as an example, noting that the number of customers using Sparky has increased by 70% year-over-year, and that customers and members using the service spend 40% more per order than those who do not. Furner provided an example where a customer asked Sparky for a weekly meal plan featuring healthy, high-protein foods. Sparky quickly provided recipes and meal kits, and supported one-click addition of the required ingredients to the shopping cart.