Rudy Lai
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AI @ Walgreens

Retail pharmacy giant
Industry
Last updated
July 3, 2025 at 10:44 AM

Summary

  • Walgreens has progressively integrated AI across healthcare services, retail operations, and supply chain from 2019 to 2025, partnering with major tech players like Microsoft and Palantir and deploying solutions such as conversational AI for vaccine scheduling, AI-driven demand planning, and robotic micro-fulfillment centers.
  • The company has demonstrated a clear trend toward leveraging AI not only to improve customer experience through personalized services and appointment scheduling but also to optimize internal efficiency by automating supply chain, medication adherence programs, and tech support, with results including up to a 9.7% increase in medication adherence and robust operational visibility via digital twins.
  • By 2025, Walgreens is advancing pharmacy modernization extensively using agentic AI-driven robotics to fill prescriptions and predictive analytics to optimize healthcare and retail operations, signaling a mature adoption phase that drives cost reduction, revenue increase, and enhanced customer experience.

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7 AI Use Cases at Walgreens

Supply Chain Optimization
2025
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Costs
Walgreens partnered with Palantir to deploy digital twins that unify fragmented data sources, providing real-time visibility and enhancing supply chain responsiveness. [1]
Robotic Fulfillment
2025
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Costs
Walgreens expanded automated micro-fulfillment centers with robotics to fill thousands of prescriptions efficiently, driving operational turnaround. [1]
Demand Planning
2023
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Costs
Walgreens transformed retail operations by applying AI-driven demand planning and personalized customer outreach to optimize inventory and marketing. [1][2]
IT Support Automation
2022
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Costs
Walgreens implemented AI in service management to handle tech support tickets more efficiently without increasing staffing or costs. [1][2]
Medication Adherence
2021
Customer Facing
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Using AI platforms like AllazoHealth, Walgreens increased medication adherence rates by targeting social vulnerabilities and reducing bias in patient programs. [1][2]
Customer Engagement
2021
Customer Facing
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Revenue
Walgreens uses AI-driven chatbots and predictive analytics to provide personalized rewards programs, improve email marketing engagement, and deliver medication reminders. [1][2]
Appointment Scheduling
2021
Customer Facing
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Walgreens employs conversational AI to help customers confirm vaccine eligibility and schedule vaccination appointments digitally and through voice systems. [1][2]

Timeline

2025 Q4: no updates

2025 Q3

1 updates

Chief Pharmacy Officer Rick Gates discussed future pharmacy modernization driven by AI and micro-fulfillment technologies.

2025 Q2

2 updates

Palantir deployed digital twins for unified real-time visibility of Walgreens' retail operations; Walgreens expanded robotic micro-fulfillment centers to fill thousands of prescriptions.

2025 Q1

1 updates

Highlighted AI for supply chain optimization, personalized rewards, and predictive healthcare models to enhance operational efficiency and patient outcomes.

2024 Q4: no updates

2024 Q3: no updates

2024 Q2: no updates

2024 Q1

2 updates

Walgreens leadership forecasted pharmacies as healthcare hubs and highlighted leveraging AI to forecast retail trends and improve patient engagement with chatbots and medication reminders.

2023 Q4

1 updates

To avoid AI vendor hype, Walgreens integrated AI chat and intelligence in service management without increasing agent headcount or spending.

2023 Q3

1 updates

Walgreens fully transitioned from traditional print marketing to AI-driven demand planning and personalized customer outreach for retail transformation.

2023 Q2

3 updates

Walgreens partnered with Freenome and deployed AI/ML platforms like Saama for clinical study advancements and used AI-driven demand planning to transform retail operations.

2023 Q1: no updates

2022 Q4

1 updates

Walgreens used Digitate AIOps solution to enhance vaccine scheduling and IT support ticket management.

2022 Q3: no updates

2022 Q2: no updates

2022 Q1

1 updates

The company's IT leadership focused on leveraging cloud, data analytics, and AI to improve personalization and healthcare services.

2021 Q4

1 updates

Walgreens' AI-powered medication adherence program targeted social vulnerability and unintended bias to improve health outcomes.

2021 Q3

2 updates

Walgreens leveraged AI to improve email engagement rates, vaccination appointment adherence, and medication adherence improved by up to 9.7% via AllazoHealth's platform.

2021 Q2: no updates

2021 Q1

2 updates

Walgreens adopted Nuance's conversational AI solutions to facilitate COVID-19 vaccine eligibility confirmation and appointment scheduling.

2020 Q4: no updates

2020 Q3: no updates

2020 Q2: no updates

2020 Q1: no updates

2019 Q4: no updates

2019 Q3

1 updates

Walgreens began implementing voice-powered AI technology to enhance in-store customer and associate experiences.

2019 Q2: no updates

2019 Q1

2 updates

Walgreens partnered with Microsoft to integrate AI and data science aiming to digitize healthcare and generate valuable insights for patient care.