Microsoft’s 50-day AI Skills Fest is open to beginners and pros. Register now for free access to AI lessons and help Microsoft win a Guinness World Record (seriously).
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.
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.
This isn’t even the only online learning-related record or only record by a big corporation: 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.
