Microsoft has launched a new AI Skills Initiative aimed to provide free training and resources to individuals and organizations around the world to help learn artificial intelligence (AI).
The new AI Skills Initiative, which is developed in collaboration with Microsoft-owned LinkedIn, will be offered through LinkedIn’s training platform for free.
It includes a new grant challenge with data.org for organizations to develop new ways of training, upskilling, and reskilling workers in generative AI.
“AI has tremendous potential to empower workers, however, we need to ensure that everyone has the skills to use it. The new AI Skills Initiative marks a new beginning that will build on a new wave of technology innovation to come,” Gunjan Patel, Director and Head – Philanthropies at Microsoft India, said.
In an article published on LinkedIn, Kate Behncken, Corporate VP for Microsoft Philanthropies, called the initiative “the first Professional Certificate on Generative AI in the online learning market.”
During this new coursework, participants will learn introductory concepts of AI, including a look at responsible AI frameworks. Upon completion of the coursework, they will receive a Career Essentials certificate, which they can add to their LinkedIn profile and share with their network.
About The Course
The course titled “Career Essentials in Generative AI” will consist of five instructional videos with a total duration of about four hours. The following subjects are covered in the training videos:
- Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- Understanding Generative AI
- Generative AI and its Evolution in Online Search
- Enhancing Work Efficiency with Microsoft Bing Chat
- Ethical Considerations in the Age of Generative AI
To earn the professional certificate, you should first complete all the videos. Only upon completion of the entire training, you will get access to the exam. Once you pass the exam, you will receive immediate access to your certificate, which you can post on your LinkedIn profile.
Currently, this Professional Certificate on Generative AI is available in English and will launch in Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese over the coming months on LinkedIn Learning.
Following Microsoft’s six other Career Essentials Professional Certificates in the Skills for Jobs program, this AI coursework will be unlocked and available for free through 2025.
For those interested in teaching courses, a trainer toolkit for teachers, trainers, and facilitators, including an AI course built for educators, will be available at a later date.
Additionally, Microsoft Learn AI Skills Challenge, a free technical training challenge to learn essential AI skills with Microsoft products and services, will also launch on July 17th. You can sign up HERE.
Microsoft is also teaming up with GitHub and data.org on a Generative AI Skills Grant challenge, an open grant program to explore, develop, and implement how non-profit organizations, social enterprises, and research or academic institutions can train and empower the workforce to use generative AI for historically marginalized populations around the world.
The grant is now accepting applications, with a deadline for initial proposals on August 15, 2023. The winners of the grant will be announced by Microsoft later this year.
According to the World Economic Forum, AI skills represent the third-highest priority for companies’ training strategies.
Microsoft’s research shows that while 70% of people would like to delegate as much work as possible to AI to lessen their workloads, 49% worry that AI may replace their jobs.
With the new AI Skills Initiative, Microsoft continues the work of bringing digital skills to people around the world and helping them stay ahead of emerging skills gaps and take advantage of new AI technologies.
