As AI systems become smarter than humans and change the global order, experts predict that artificial intelligence will reshape jobs. This means next-generation jobs may not be the same as those that exist today and will require new skill sets, pushing both employees and employers to adapt to the change faster than expected.
With that in mind, taking advantage of Microsoft’s free AI skills training course could help you understand shifting priorities and gain insight into the skills needed for the future. The event, which kicks off on April 8 and runs through May 28, 2025, is a 50-day AI training fest designed to help you understand generative artificial intelligence and learn how to apply AI at work or at home. It’s completely free, and Microsoft won’t charge for the training.
Make 2025 the year you elevate your AI skills! 🌟
Get ready for the Microsoft AI Skills Fest starting on April 8, and stay tuned for training sessions and learning opportunities with our vibrant community. pic.twitter.com/JyTspejBUq
— Microsoft Learn (@MicrosoftLearn) March 20, 2025
Here’s what you get from Microsoft’s AI Skills Fest and how to sign up.
Free AI training for all
The idea behind the AI Skills Fest is to offer AI training for everyone, regardless of background or expertise. By registering for the event, you can expand your skill set or improve your AI skills if you already know the basics.
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During the 50-day event, you can test your current AI skills and develop new ones. There will be a variety of challenges spanning different tasks, activities, and themes—a mix of tasks, modules, and tutorials. Microsoft will offer on-demand and live sessions, as well as in-person training. But there’s more. The event will also include hackathons, self-paced learning, challenges, community forums, and meetups.
The best part is that the courses are open to all skill levels. This means you can start learning about AI as a beginner or gain a deeper understanding of AI concepts if you already have some familiarity. Microsoft encourages tech professionals, students, business professionals and business leaders to join the AI Skills Fest. The event is also open to Microsoft employees, customers, partners, technical professionals, developers, business leaders, students, and AI enthusiasts globally. On the AI Skills Fest website, Microsoft has detailed the different sessions, allowing participants to learn more about various core Microsoft apps and services that will be part of the course. Training sessions last between 45 minutes to 60 minutes.
Lessons will be available in Albanian, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Global, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Macedonian, Mandarin Chinese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Simplified Chinese, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
Prizes, participation vouchers, and discounts
As part of the event, Microsoft is holding AI Skills Fest Challenge where it will be giving away 50,000 free Microsoft Certification exam vouchers in weekly prize drawings. Meanwhile, GitHub is offering a 50 per cent discount code for GitHub’s newest certification exam, GitHub Copilot. Once you finish the GitHub Learn module, you will be given a discount code, which will be valid until May 28, 2025. Just make sure you complete the exam by June 30, 2025.
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Attempting a Guinness World Record
Microsoft’s AI Skills Fest also includes the actual Guinness World Record the company is trying to make. The goal is to have the most users to take an online multi-level AI lesson within a 24-hour period.
