Microsoft's free AI skills training 'Fest' starts next week - anyone can sign up

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I know you've heard of gamification, but have you ever heard of festification? That's what Microsoft will be doing in April and May, with the Microsoft AI Skills Fest. It's a little odd, but it also looks like it might be a heck of a lot of fun.

I've written a lot about Microsoft over the years. I've praised its innovations. I've mocked its product naming. But this is a new one, even for me. Apparently, Microsoft (or some group of wacky marketing executives in the company) wants to set a new world record.

Going for a Guinness World Record

Microsoft is serious about this, too. It involved the actual Guinness World Records organization in its plans.

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As it turns out, you can get a world record for almost anything. Sure, you can get a world record for the most spoons balanced on a body, the fastest 100-meter sprint on all fours, being the world's tallest man, and having the most apples held in your own mouth and cut by a chainsaw. That last one was by Wang Lei in Dezhou China, back in 2020 (hey, we all needed something to keep us busy during lockdowns).

But Microsoft is trying for a world record in (and I swear I did not make this up) "the most users to complete an online multi-level artificial intelligence lesson in 24 hours."

Apparently, this has already been a thing. Last year, 46,045 online participants, working under the auspices of GUVI Geek Network Private Limited in collaboration with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, India, completed a 31-minute lesson, followed by 15 multiple-choice questions to ascertain learning quality. The event, part of the South Asian Women in Tech event series, earned the organization an official Guinness World Record.

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This isn't even the only online learning-related record or only record by a big corporation:

Most users to take an online financial literacy lesson in 24 hours: awarded to Capital One with 1,812 participants in 2024.Largest computer programming lesson: achieved by Magma Talent Studio and Instituto Superior Técnico - Universidade de Lisboa in Portugal with 1,668 people in 2024.Most users to take an online growth hacking marketing lesson in 24 hours (you seriously can't make this stuff up): Awarded to Raikk Chan Kok Woei (Malaysia) in Hong Kong, in 2023.

Free AI training for everyone

Microsoft's attempt to win bragging rights benefits you and me because we get some free AI training out of the deal. The multi-level quest involves sequential stages, ranging from an introduction to AI, core concepts like machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing, to practical tools (Azure and Copilot, 'natch), and building some apps on your own.

The idea is that the courses are open for all skill levels. You can learn early stages of the lessons if you're new to AI, or work on deeper topics if you're more familiar with AI concepts. Although there are tiers of learning, it's packaged as a single experience. You can work through any or all of the lessons as part of one unified course.

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Lessons are 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.

Sadly, conversational Klingon is not on offer.

The main event, the world record attempt, runs from April 7 at 23:00 UTC to April 8 at 23:00 UTC. But there's a lot more, including hackathons, self-paced learning, challenges, community forums and meetups, and even (is this really a surprise?) an opportunity for Microsoft's partners to pitch their AI-related training and related wares.

For those getting started, there are lessons like Using AI for everyday tasks. This lesson will help you "Understand generative AI and identify ways to use AI at home and at work. Write effective prompts and find helpful resources."

As an example of the more advanced topics, you can take a course in Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft's data analytics platform. The challenge helps you prepare for the DP-700 certification. During Skills Fest, the course is free, but if you do want to become certified, that's something you'll need to pay for outside the Skills Fest environment, and it's roughly $165.

Prizes, discounts, and participation awards

If you don't want to pay for certifications, you may be in luck. If you enter the Microsoft AI Skills Fest Challenge Sweepstakes (another name I couldn't make up), you may be able to win one of 50,000 free certification vouchers awarded during weekly drawings.

GitHub is offering a 50% discount code for GitHub's newest certification exam, GitHub Copilot. Once you finish the GitHub Learn module, you'll be given a discount code, which will be valid until May 28, 2025. To make sure you don't dilly or dally, you must complete the exam by June 30, 2025.

Now, here's what's got me freaking out about geeking out. If you register and complete a training within the 24-hour period of the Guinness World Record challenge on April 7-8, 2025, you will receive … wait for it … a participation badge. I mean, how out of control is that? You could put "participated in Guinness World Record challenge" on your LinkedIn profile (also owned by Microsoft, btw).

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Yes, you too could be tangentially awesome, you Guinness World Record holder enabler participant, you!

Register now

I'm going to do it. I registered at the Microsoft AI Skills Fest registration page. I told them I'm over 18 (if not emotionally, at least physically). I checked the statement that made it all seem oh-so-real:

If I participate in the Al Skills Fest Event world record attempt, I hereby authorize Microsoft to act as my representative and to enter into the applicable agreement with Guinness World Records on my behalf and I acknowledge that I have reviewed the applicable terms of the Guinness World Records Terms and Conditions.

I'm going to have an agreement by proxy with Guinness World Records. If you go to the registration page and share your details, you can also participate, help Microsoft win a world record, and maybe even learn something.

All Microsoft needs is 46,046 online participants in order to win a pretty plaque that can be hung on the wall across the corridor and down the hall from Satya Nadella's corner office on the fifth floor of Building 34.

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What about you? Have you ever spent time browsing the Guinness World Records just to see the wild, creative, or inspiring things people have accomplished? Were there any records that surprised you or made you curious to learn more?

Are you planning on registering for the AI Skills Fest? Are there some AI skills you want to improve? What about helping Microsoft win a Guinness World Record? Are you willing to help them achieve the pinnacle of corporate niche marketing success? Let us know in the comments below.

Oh, and for the record, despite my obvious enthusiastically unrestrained sarcasm, this is a good thing. It's free training on a hot topic from a well-respected company. It's definitely worth taking some time and learning some AI skills. In all seriousness, I'm going to take some of the classes and I recommend you do, too.

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