Retail in general may be severely disrupted, but Walmart has resisted the trend. Staying ahead on innovation is one reason why. While a spate of acquisitions has boosted Walmart’s online presence significantly 20 , the retailer is not neglecting its physical stores. Walmart continues to solidify its organic growth plans by opening its first AI-enabled Intelligent Retail Lab (IRL) location. Developed by the company’s innovation incubator, Store No. 8, the new store will be used as a testing ground to experiment with emerging technology. 21 CREATING—AND LEARNING FROM—LIVING LABS: WALMART The store is staffed by 100 employees who leverage artificially intelligent sensors and cameras to monitor inventory and replenish stock, which frees up much needed time to spend with their customers. 22 In the words of Mike Hanrahan, CEO of the new lab, “Technology enables us to understand so much more, in real time, about our business.” This is creating a virtuous circle within the company, where what leaders learn from new developments like IRL feeds Walmart’s evolving strategy. BREAKING THROUGH DISRUPTION 30