Microsoft launches new AI Skills Initiative and grant
Microsoft announced a new AI Skills Initiative to help
people and communities around the world learn to harness the power of AI. The
new initiative, part of Microsoft’s Skills for Jobs program, includes new, free
coursework developed with LinkedIn; a new grant challenge with data.org for
organizations to create new ways of training, upskilling and reskilling workers
in generative AI.
According to Microsoft’s recent Work Trend Index, AI is uniquely poised to
create a whole new way of working just as the pace of information work is
outpacing our ability to keep up. According to the India findings of the Index,
a whopping 76% of Indian workers said they struggle with having enough time and
energy to get their work done. And while 74% of people say they’re worried AI
will replace their jobs, even more—83%—would delegate as much work as
possible to AI to lessen their workloads. To that end, Microsoft’s AI Skills
Initiative will aim to help workers stay ahead of emerging skills gaps and
alleviate digital debt – the crush of data, information, and always-on
communications – and unleash creativity.
Gunjan Patel, director and head – Philanthropies, Microsoft India said,
“AI skills represent the third-highest priority for companies’ training
strategies, alongside analytical and creative thinking. 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.”
Microsoft, data.org, Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, and GitHub
are launching an open grant program to explore, develop, and implement how
nonprofit, social enterprise, and research or academic institutions can train
and empower the workforce to use generative AI. This global grant will support
organizations driving skilling and economic growth especially those focusing on
fair and community-led implementations of generative AI with historically
marginalized populations around the world. In addition to financial support,
the awardees will receive access to a cohort experience, Microsoft events, Azure-based
cloud computing resources as well as data training and technical guidance from
Microsoft and GitHub experts. To learn more about the new open grant challenge,
visit data.org/challenge.
Microsoft and LinkedIn have launched a new learning pathway to
provide free introductory generative AI learning content. Through this new
coursework, workers will learn introductory concepts of AI, including a look at
responsible AI frameworks, and receive a Career Essentials certificate upon
completion – the first professional certificate on Generative AI on the online
learning market.
A recent Nasscom report found that India has the second largest AI
talent pool globally and ranked first in terms of both AI skill penetration and
AI talent concentration. However, considering the current talent base of
approximately 420,000 professionals, India still has a 51% gap between the
demand and supply of AI/ML big data analytics tech talent in India. Microsoft
has been driving AI skilling and workforce readiness initiatives and in the
last two years, nearly 70,000 women students from Tier II and III towns have
been trained on AI skills.
As part of the Skills for Jobs program, this new initiative continues
Microsoft’s work of bringing digital skills to people around the world, joining
Microsoft’s other Skills for Jobs efforts to close the cybersecurity skills gap and
the sustainability skills gap. The AI Skills
Initiative is the next step in that campaign and is the first in a series of
commitments Microsoft is making to help everyone everywhere achieve more with
generative AI.
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