Walmart has expanded its AI-first shopping strategy with ChatGPT-powered Instant Checkout. After rolling out “Ask Sparky” this summer, the retail giant is pushing deeper into agentic commerce. Industry leaders in North Texas and beyond are watching closely.
The retail giant says it’s the first to deliver refrigerated prescriptions like insulin and pediatric amoxicillin alongside groceries and household essentials. The expanded service is available at all North Texas Walmart pharmacies.
On May 6, "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg shared some of her "favorite things" on a Mother's Day gift edition of the ABC show. One of her favorites? Jam Vino, a line of wine-infused jams from Dallas-based Founder and CEO Chef Lori Rogers.
Based out of its facility in Justin, a city north of Fort Worth, Canoo's HQ is within easy EV range of its DFW-based CEO, Tony Aquila. Now, with thousands of EV orders on the books from Walmart and other companies—and test vehicles humming about for the USPS, U.S. Army, NASA, and more—Canoo has some growing to do.
Located 15 miles south of Dallas in Lancaster, the new 730,000-SF center is Walmart’s second in the city, following the 2023 opening of a 1.5-million-SF next-generation fulfillment center that's brought "people, technology, and machine learning together."
In 2022, we told you about two next-gen, robotics-packed Walmart facilities that were coming to Lancaster, just south of Dallas: a 1.5 million-square-foot automated fulfillment center and a 730,000 square-foot automated grocery distribution center. The first opened last year and the second is still under construction. When it's completed, it will complete a trifecta of transformation in the region, including a retrofitted 1.2-million-square-foot distribution center in Sanger, north of Denton.
Tech trailblazer and AI expert Marissa Mayer, known for her groundbreaking 13-year tenure as Google's first female engineer and her leadership as Yahoo!'s CEO, brings a track record of innovation and a deep understanding of consumer internet engagement to AT&T's expanding board.
The merger combines MindHandle's "brand magnetism" with California-based Liquid Agency's expertise to redefine brand engagement for consumers and employees alike. Liquid Agency’s current and former clients include Walmart, Nasdaq, Google, UGG, Nike, Nordstrom, Microsoft, and more.
After Brooke Hart Jones graduated from Dallas' Kimball High School, she became the third generation in her family to attend an historically black college or university (HBCU), getting a finance degree from Hampton University in Virginia. Now she's putting that degree to use—and inspiring a new generation of future HBCU hopefuls—with her line of HBCyoU Dolls.
The new 1.5 million-square-foot, next-generation fulfillment center 15 miles south of Dallas will be home to roughly 1,000 Walmart associates, the company said. The center will combine people, technology, and machine learning to enable faster shipping and delivery.
Walmart will launch new drone delivery service at two area stores— including one the retailer calls its "most requested expansion area." With fast drones from Alphabet-owned Wing, Dallas shoppers could get their orders in about 30 minutes.
“The potential shifts made possible by generative AI (and related technologies) do seem fundamentally more game-changing, while illustrating that disruption continues to happen more exponentially than linearly," Steve Dennis said in an email promoting his "Retail Apocalypse" podcast.
Stuck in a rut with plain old ketchup? You'd better catch up—and a local company is here to help. Irving-based Melinda's Foods—which calls itself "the brand that can set your mouth on flavor"—is introducing new spicy ketchups and sauces at Walmart, both online and at 4,100 store locations nationwide.
"AI now is where the web was in the mid- to late-'90s," Sentiero Ventures' David Evans says. And North Texas is becoming central to the AI revolution, he and other local tech leaders contend. DFW's role as an AI hub has been burnished by its tech workforce, the breadth and diversity of its industries, its thriving startup community, and its wealth of AI-oriented universities and research institutions. Most important of all, though, is the region's status as a magnet for Fortune 500 companies, many of which are eager to partner with AI's local pioneers.
Here's what leading North Texas experts have to say.
Last August, we told you all about Pink Sauce—how Miami influencer Chef Pii invented it and celebrated its shockingly pink wing-drizzling in TikTok videos that quickly went viral. That caught the radar of Dallas-based CPG company Dave’s Gourmet, which refined the recipe and packaging and launched it on a commercial scale. Well, today Dave's announced a major Pink milestone. Walmart has become the exclusive retailer to carry Pink Sauce until July 2023. The rosy-colored sauce will be available in over 4,300 Walmart store locations nationwide and on walmart.com in mid-January, Dave's said.
You may hear a buzz in the air soon within a mile of 11 Dallas-area Walmart stores, but it's not the sound of an early electric Santa sleigh. It's another sign that commercial drones are becoming more and more a part of our daily lives. The big-box giant has expanded its drone delivery partnership with DroneUp into Texas.
For a $3.99 delivery fee, customers within a mile of each store can order packages and see them drop gently to their yard or driveway on the same day.
North Texas is a big place, with plenty to do, see, hear, and watch. We scour the internet every week to find events and activities for you. As always, things may change at any time, so be sure to check the official website or registration page for the latest details....
Dallas-Fort Worth is charting its own path in artificial intelligence. From applied AI to research and engineering advances, our region leads in advancing real-world solutions. Behind every breakthrough and solution are the people making it happen....
The Dallas-based Independent Cinema Alliance, a cinema trade organization representing around 5,000 independently operated movie screens throughout the U.S. and Canada, has appointed Frank Rash as its first executive director. The ICA called the move “a major step forward” as it expands its mission, scope, and industry influence....
Lavazza, a 130-year-old coffee brand based in Turin, Italy, has opened a new training center in Dallas, adding to other North American locations in New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Toronto, and the Philadelphia borough of West Chester....
Dallas-area researchers have earned three of the five 2026 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards from TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology), showing the region’s strength in engineering, physics, and biomedical discovery....
North Texas is a big place, with plenty to do, see, hear, and watch. We scour the internet every week to find events and activities for you. As always, things may change at any time, so be sure to check the official website or registration page for the latest details....
Dallas-Fort Worth is charting its own path in artificial intelligence. From applied AI to research and engineering advances, our region leads in advancing real-world solutions. Behind every breakthrough and solution are the people making it happen....
The Dallas-based Independent Cinema Alliance, a cinema trade organization representing around 5,000 independently operated movie screens throughout the U.S. and Canada, has appointed Frank Rash as its first executive director. The ICA called the move “a major step forward” as it expands its mission, scope, and industry influence....
Lavazza, a 130-year-old coffee brand based in Turin, Italy, has opened a new training center in Dallas, adding to other North American locations in New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Toronto, and the Philadelphia borough of West Chester....
Dallas-area researchers have earned three of the five 2026 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards from TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology), showing the region’s strength in engineering, physics, and biomedical discovery....