Microsoft’s AI Skills Fest Seeks World Record for Most Online AI Learners

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Microsoft has announced that it’s organizing a 50-day AI Skills Fest starting April 8. The goal is to help people advance their technical knowledge regardless of their skill level. The global event features hackathons, live in-person and virtual events, self-paced tutorials, community events, learning challenges, and more—something for everyone’s schedule and preference.

Microsoft Wants a World Record

To launch its inaugural AI Skills Fest, Microsoft is aiming for a historic milestone: setting a Guinness World Record for the most participants to complete an online multi-level AI lesson in 24 hours. The record attempt kicks off on April 7 at 23:00 UTC (6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT) and runs through April 8 at 4:00 PM PT. According to the AI Skills Fest website, Microsoft has chosen a course led by Scott Brant on using Copilot chat to streamline work with AI as the official lesson for the challenge.

The current record holders are the GUVI Geek Network Private Limited and the Government of Uttar Pradesh in India. They were awarded the title on September 22, 2024, with 46,045 attendees.

Everyone who registers and completes the course training within the 24 hours will be eligible to receive a participation badge.

ZDNet initially reported on the launch of the AI Skills Fest.

Microsoft states this global event is made for everyone, and courses are tailored to different audiences. There are ones for tech professionals who want to build AI-powered solutions using Microsoft’s AI apps and services, business professionals who want to get more out of Microsoft Copilot, students interested in turning ideas into reality, and business leaders keen on empowering teams with AI skills through curated upskilling opportunities.

Take the AI Skills Challenge

Like Salesforce’s Agentblazer program, the AI Skills Fest allows participants to earn badges and certificates. It also features a skills challenge with gamified features designed to encourage more learning throughout the 50-day program. There are seven such challenges that Microsoft is putting on, one happening each week, starting April 8:

• Create agentic AI solutions with Azure AI Foundry
• Become a Fabric Data Engineer: Prep for the DP-700 Certification Exam
• Migration essentials for Azure and AI workloads
• Architecture Recipes for AI-powered applications
• Manage AI data security with Microsoft Purview
• Extend Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and Microsoft Teams with agents and apps
• Prevent and respond to cyberattacks at the speed of AI

Thousands of winners will be selected up to a week after each challenge’s conclusion. In total, 50,000 winners will receive a certification exam voucher with an estimated retail value of $100—one prize per person.

The Race to Train the Next-Gen Workers

Microsoft’s AI Skills Fest begins days after the company celebrates its 50th anniversary. It also comes amid an increasingly crowded marketplace where companies are trying to prove their AI initiatives can generate value. While LinkedIn Learning, a Microsoft subsidiary, offers AI courses, the AI Skills Fest provides a different learning experience. Participants can engage with AI in a variety of formats, including live sessions, timed events, and on-demand training. Unlike LinkedIn Learning’s broader course catalog, AI Skills Fest focuses specifically on Microsoft products, offering hands-on lessons tailored to tools like Copilot, Azure AI, and GitHub Copilot.

That said, Microsoft isn’t the only player offering such professional development courses. Salesforce announced last year that it was making all its AI Trailhead courses free through 2025 and offering free certification vouchers. Beyond that, anyone can sign up for similar AI education courses from Coursera, OpenAI, AWS, IBM, Nvidia, and Google Cloud.

With AI rapidly reshaping industries, access to free, high-quality training has never been more valuable. Microsoft’s AI Skills Fest may be a marketing play (it is), but it’s also part of a broader push to upskill the workforce for an AI-driven future. Whether participants are looking to automate tasks with Copilot, build AI-powered apps, or enhance data security, these lessons could provide a competitive edge in a changing job market. And with other tech giants like Salesforce and Google also investing in AI education, the race to train the next generation of AI-skilled workers is only accelerating. For professionals, students, and business leaders alike, the real challenge isn’t just breaking a world record—it’s making sure they’re ready for what comes next.

Featured Image: Attendees arrive at a Microsoft event in Redmond, Washington, on February 7, 2023, to learn about the company's partnership with OpenAI. Photo credit: Ken Yeung