The moment AI skilling stopped being optional—and started being personal
Kavitha Radhakrishnan is a General Manager in Microsoft Global Skilling, where she leads the teams creating AI‑first, learner‑centered experiences that help people and teams build skills they can apply at work. Sunday night. The week hasn’t started yet, but the questions already have. A leader is scrolling through AI headlines, trying to keep up with the constant changes. Every day there’s a new tool, a new capability, a new prediction about how work is changing. And it is. By Monday morning, the pressure isn’t theoretical; it’s sitting on a packed calendar and a team that’s already running hot. Everyone’s saying, “We should be using AI,” but nobody’s quite sure what that means for this team, this week. Elsewhere, an employee is watching coworkers use AI with speed and confidence. They want to keep up without feeling exposed for what they don’t know yet. The gap isn’t intelligence; it’s psychological safety and a clear starting point. And then there’s the learning leader who’s had the “training participation” conversation a hundred times, but now the question is sharper. It isn’t How many people finished?, but What changed in the way they work? The bar has moved from awareness to application. None of these people are asking for more content. There’s plenty of that. They want a path that respects their time, fits their role, and helps them build confidence, both individually and as part of a team. Enter AI Skills Navigator AI is moving faster than most of us can track. The problem is figuring out what to do next. Leaders don’t want to stitch together five different tools. People don’t want another long course about AI. Teams are looking for skilling that fits into real work. That’s the gap AI Skills Navigator is built to address. AI Skills Navigator brings role‑based, practical skilling into a single experience, so individuals and teams have a clear starting point, a sense of direction, and ways to see progress as they go. Instead of an endless catalog, it offers guided paths that respect time, align to real responsibilities, and make it easier to turn learning into action. At its core, it’s designed to help turn skilling into execution—progress that people can feel and leaders can point to. How AI Skills Navigator fits your flow Alex, a team manager, is trying to set the team up for success. The team is kicking off a new project with clear goals, tight timelines, and a mix of responsibilities across roles. Everyone is expected to use AI more effectively, but “go learn AI” isn’t a plan. Sending people to a long list of links doesn’t help either. So Alex turns to AI Skills Navigator. Instead of gathering content from multiple places, Alex uses AI Skills Navigator to design a skilling playlist for the team. The conversational AI experience helps him identify what his team really needs. The playlist is grounded in what the team is actually working on and intentionally structured around the project goals and role-specific responsibilities. It brings together different content formats on purpose: short sessions for core concepts, practice where it matters, and optional deeper dives for people who want to explore further. It’s not about forcing everyone through the same experience. It’s about giving the team a shared path forward, while respecting different roles, learning needs, and preferences. Sam, an experienced marketing manager on the team, doesn’t have to figure out where to start. A link from Alex lands in their inbox, and the intent is clear: this is what matters for our work right now. As Sam works through the playlist, they move naturally between different ways of learning. The structure makes it easy for them to focus without feeling boxed in. For a topic that matters most to the project, Sam chooses a skilling session. A video sets the context, and the Skilling Session Coach AI agent is there along the way—ready to clarify a concept, answer a quick question, or pause to check understanding. Sometimes there’s a short quiz to help Sam confirm that they’re learning and making progress. People are juggling meetings, messages, deadlines, and more. Attention spans are shorter, and learning often happens in brief moments between tasks. AI Skills Navigator is designed for that reality. Sometimes Sam feels like listening instead of reading. An AI‑generated podcast turns dense material into something easier to absorb. When time is tight, an AI-generated summary helps Sam catch up in minutes, without losing the thread. From Alex’s perspective, there’s a simple view of how the team is progressing—enough to see who’s moving forward, where people might be getting stuck, and when it’s time to adjust the plan. Together, these moments add up. Skilling sessions provide depth when it’s needed. Podcasts and summaries offer flexibility when attention is limited. Skilling playlists keep everything connected, so learning feels purposeful rather than scattered. By combining structured paths with flexible ways to learn, and pairing AI support with human expertise, AI Skills Navigator helps individuals and teams build confidence, apply skills, and make progress together. How we’re building confidence, together AI Skills Navigator is designed to help people and teams build confidence, not by adding more noise, but by providing guidance that fits real work. It brings together training content from sources that many people already know and trust, including Microsoft Learn, LinkedIn, and GitHub, and connects it into structured paths that make it easier to start, go deeper, and keep moving forward. Whether you’re learning on your own or designing skilling for a team, the goal is the same: turn learning into progress that you can feel. And this isn’t static. We’ll continue evolving AI Skills Navigator based on how people learn, how teams work, and the feedback we hear from learners and leaders along the way. We’ll share updates regularly, including new content, new capabilities, and what’s coming next, so you can stay current as the experience grows. After you've signed in, you can get started with these options. (Pro tip: To expand the navigation pane on the left, try selecting it.) Create a skilling playlist for your team. Try the “Explore Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat” skilling session. Access all available AI Skills Navigator training content. Review Microsoft Credentials in AI Skills Navigator.AI Genius Season 2: MVP Speakers Power Asia’s AI Tour—Build Smarter, Faster, and Hands-On
Introduction The Microsoft AI Genius Season 2 is here, bringing together the Asia Pacific’s top MVP speakers and developer leaders for a technical deep dive into the future of AI. Inspired by the success of last year’s series, the new season of videos on-demand is designed for developers and dev managers eager to master the tools behind GitHub Copilot, AI Foundry, Microsoft Fabric, and Azure Databricks. With a focus on hands-on learning and real-world impact, AI Genius Season 2 is your gateway to building smarter, faster, and with greater confidence than ever before. The program features three in-depth episodes designed to empower participants. Season 2 Highlights Episode 1: Elevate Your Agents with Model Context Protocol (MCP) Episode 2: Unified Data & AI Workflows with Fabric, Databricks & AI Foundry Episode 3: Supercharge Your DevOps with Copilot in Azure & GitHub Copilot Registration & On-Demand Access: AI Genius English (India, ANZ, ASEAN, HK) AI Genius Season 2 (China) Japan Korea Youngwook Kim, Jaeseok Lee, Mi Jeong Jeon from Korea, Jingun Jung, Tomohiro Suzuki, Maki Nagase from Japan, Kasam Shaikh from India, Qi Li from China The sessions are more than just presentations—they’re interactive experiences. Developers get hands-on with the exact tools and architecture featured in the AI Tour workshops, learning directly from MVPs who have implemented these solutions in real-world scenarios. The impact is clear: in Q1 alone, 87,500 developers engaged with the series, with 20,000 joining through a gated experience and 55% of the Managed Account List reached. China saw a 200% increase in views, while Japan and Korea also achieved significant growth. MVP speakers, Youngwook Kim, Jaeseok Lee, Mi Jeong Jeon from Korea, Jingun Jung, Tomohiro Suzuki, Maki Nagase from Japan, Kasam Shaikh from India, Qi Li from China, shared their expertise, delivering live demos, answering questions, and inspiring the next generation of AI innovators. Their dedication and passion have helped shape a vibrant, inclusive community where learning and collaboration thrive. Season 3: What’s Next for AI Genius? Building on the momentum of Season 2, AI Genius Season 3 is set to take developer skilling to the next level. This new season will feature advanced topics and hands-on workshops designed to help you: Prototype multimodal AI agents with Microsoft Foundry and the AI Toolkit in Visual Studio Code Orchestrate advanced multi-agent systems using SWE Agents and the Microsoft Agent Framework Bring Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools into production with Azure Functions and enterprise-ready AI patterns Whether you’re looking to deepen your expertise or explore the latest in agentic AI, Season 3 offers practical guidance and real-world demos from MVPs and Microsoft experts. Sessions are available in English, Korean, and Japanese, ensuring accessibility for all developers across Asia. Explore and register for Season 3: https://msft.it/6045sLrND Impact and Insights The AI Genius Series has become a catalyst for developer growth and innovation across Asia. By delivering localized content in English, Korean, and Japanese, the program ensures accessibility and relevance for all participants. The MVP speakers’ real-world insights and hands-on guidance have empowered thousands to move beyond experimentation and into enterprise-grade AI development. Key outcomes include: Over 87,000 developers engaged across Asia Significant growth in on-demand participation, especially in China and Japan High demand for immersive, digital hands-on experiences—driving new solutions for future events The ripple effect of MVP leadership is evident: as more developers gain confidence and skills, they, in turn, inspire others to join the journey. The AI Genius Expert Group continues to grow, welcoming new members who are passionate about advancing AI in their communities. Ready to become an AI Genius? Join the movement—register now for the latest episodes, available in English, Korean, and Japanese. Get hands-on with the tools, connect with experts, and earn your AI Genius badge. Whether you’re a developer, manager, or community advocate, there’s a place for you in this vibrant network. Let’s build the future of AI together! 👉 https://msft.it/6045sLrND Resources Season 2 Highlights Episode 1: Elevate Your Agents with Model Context Protocol (MCP) Episode 2: Unified Data & AI Workflows with Fabric, Databricks & AI Foundry Episode 3: Supercharge Your DevOps with Copilot in Azure & GitHub Copilot Registration & On-Demand Access: AI Genius English (India, ANZ, ASEAN, HK) AI Genius Season 2 (China) Japan KoreaThe Art and Science of Prompting: AI fluency. mayoral delegate edition
Art and science of prompting is your gateway to unlocking citywide transformation. AI skills are now foundational for every city leader. The winners will be those who ask better questions, shape better prompts, and empower their teams to experiment, learn, and scale what works. This session will show you how to move from curiosity to action, and from pilot to policy The deck below is the best prompts I've curated over 2.5 years deeply testing, implementing, teaching, and scaling AI to governments and large companies around the world. These are the basis to the prompting skills you can gain to augment and supercharge your expertise. Slide 10 is my personal favorite -- the easy button -- i use it everyday and so should you. Start with an area you're already an expert in, and go deep with context. Get to your 'Aha moment' then rinse and repeat. Have fun!
