AI Skills Fest is just days away—here's what to expect
From headliners to hands-on learning, we’ve got your insider’s guide to a week full of can’t-miss moments in AI skilling. I always say my top career tip is simple: stay curious and keep on learning. Ask questions, try new things, follow what sparks your interest. That’s what Microsoft AI Skills Fest is all about. This isn’t just another learning event, it’s a full-on virtual festival experience, taking place June 8–12, 2026, with something for every role, from IT to marketing to leadership. Different stages, different sessions, one goal: helping you build your AI skills. And now, it’s time to reveal the AI Skills Fest lineup, packed with experts. Think of this blog post as your festival game plan for what to watch, try, and learn. Start here: Real perspectives from AI experts at the Mainstage The AI Skills Fest Mainstage is where the headliners will gather and the vibes will be electric, with honest conversations about where AI is going and the skills (both human and AI) that matter most. Join us at any time on June 8, 2026. It’s a can’t-miss event. Jeana Jorgensen, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Global Skilling, sits down with two industry experts (who are also New York Times bestselling authors!) for a vibrant conversation about the critical role of human skills in the era of AI: Aneesh Raman, Chief Economic Opportunity Officer at LinkedIn and co-author of Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI. Gina Smith, PhD, Research Director at IDC and co-author of Powering Up: Human Skills for the AI Era. Plus, hear about how Microsoft is approaching AI transformation from the inside with leaders like: Katy George, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Workforce Transformation. Pam Maynard, Microsoft Chief AI Transformation Officer. In addition to this thought leaders, hear voices from people just like you from around the world. Because we all have something meaningful to share. Make the Mainstage your first stop. It’s a great place to get context for everything else you do at AI Skills Fest, including what skills matter and where to focus next. Go deeper: Live learning This is where AI Skills Fest really comes to life. Join us online for expert-led live sessions via LinkedIn and get answers to your questions. Discover real AI workflows, prepare for Microsoft Certification exams, get career coaching and learn alongside a global community in real time—all with a focus on practical application. I’m looking forward to watching the Reimagine AI Collaboration for Business session which includes real example prompts and workflows. Another one that caught my attention is Ask a Recruiter—a great session for students who want some honest advice on landing that first job in the era of AI. If you’re focused on earning a Certification, we’ve got you covered. Tune into live exam prep sessions with expert guidance and real-time Q&A. Find clear direction, real answers, and the confidence to say, I can actually do this. Build something: Compete for prizes in the hackathon Some people learn by watching. Others learn by doing. If you fall in the second category, like me, or if you’re from the developer community, you won’t want to miss the hackathon. Agents League Hackathon is the marquee experience for developers at AI Skills Fest, combining hands‑on building with an e-sports‑style competition. Create your own agent, compete against your peers, and watch live coding battles as you climb the leaderboard. The hackathon is also a great chance to network with developers globally and get feedback from Microsoft product teams. Register now and submit your project through June 14, 2026, for a chance to win cash prizes, exciting swag, and category recognition.* And everyone who submits a project receives a digital badge. Find your path: Role-based skilling playlists After you’ve seen the mainstage lineup and joined a few live moments, build on your momentum with featured playlists—self-guided training curated for specific roles and organized so you always have a clear next step. Each unit builds on the learnings from those that came before. The result? You can focus on content built for you. We’re planning a lot more, but here are a few skilling playlists you won’t want to miss. If you’re a… Check out… And discover… Business professional Using Copilot Agents at Work A deeper understanding of how and when to use agents to boost productivity. Developer Develop your first agent with Microsoft Foundry A clear path to developing agents from model selection to publishing. Executive Leading at the Frontier: for talent and learning leaders Practical ways to lead AI transformation through people, skills, and business strategy. Educator or student Responsible AI in education Confidence applying responsible AI in real learning and academic scenarios. IT, data, or security pro Save time with Azure Copilot Helpful ways to use Azure Copilot to save time and improve workflows. Skilling playlists drop June 8, 2026, on AI Skills Navigator. Trust me, you’ll want to be the first to check them out. Complete a featured playlist by June 12, 2026, at 11:59 PM (your time), to earn a Credly badge. Submit your voucher claim form by the same date and time for a chance at a free Microsoft Certification exam.* Learn together: Partnerships that expand your experience AI Skills Fest is a worldwide learning party, and we’re bringing along some friends to make it more accessible, practical, and relevant—wherever you’re learning. Through our global network of Microsoft Training Services Partners, you can join local, in-language AI Skills Fest events that bring the festival closer to you. With Pearson, we’re showing how AI learning turns into real impact, from working toward Certification-led adoption to building practical, job-ready skills. With Finding Mastery, we’re exploring the human side of AI with a session focused on the mindset and skills that help you adapt, lead, and stay grounded. Anthropic brings a dedicated session on AI applications and agent development using Foundry with Anthropic AI models. And MasterClass is joining with its new certificate, Lead With AI: Adapt, Implement & Transform Your Organization, plus a special offer for AI Skills Fest attendees. See you (virtually) at the AI Skills Fest! Because every great festival comes with perks, we’ve got a few worth getting excited about: Register and you’re automatically entered into a sweepstakes* for exciting prizes. You might even score a VIP experience at Microsoft Ignite 2026, complete with your very own pair of bedazzled shoes. (If you register before June 8, 2026, you’ll get two entries and double your chance of winning.)* Complete an AI Skills Fest featured playlist, and earn a Credly badge* you can share. Finish an eligible playlist and receive a voucher for select Certification exams. Register now for AI Skills Fest. Mark your calendar for the mainstage moment. Pick a few live sessions. Commit to a skilling playlist. Try something hands-on. The festival forecast looks good: the lineup is sunny, and the paths are clear. I’m looking forward to seeing you there! *Friendly fine print: Terms and conditions apply. Sweepstakes, prizes, and Certification exam vouchers are subject to eligibility requirements and other restrictions.New Microsoft Certified: Intelligent Applications Builder Associate Certification
Design the next generation of AI‑powered business applications. Show you can combine apps, agents, automation, and Copilot into intelligent solutions in Microsoft Power Platform, with Exam AB‑410 (beta). The way business solutions are built is changing fast. Today, it’s not enough to create an app or automate a task in isolation; builders need to bring together apps, agents, automation, data, and AI experiences into solutions that can adapt to real business needs. That’s why we’re introducing the Microsoft Certified: Intelligent Applications Builder Associate Certification, designed for professionals who are ready to use Microsoft Power Platform, Copilot, and natural language to build the next generation of intelligent business applications. To earn this new Microsoft Certification, you need to pass Exam AB-410: Building Intelligent Applications, currently in beta. Is this the right Certification for you? This Certification validates the skills of intelligent app builders who can confidently navigate the evolving AI and agent ecosystem, including how to: Create a foundation for intelligent applications. Create intelligent applications. Build business application logic and automation. Candidates for this Certification: Build AI-powered solutions in Microsoft Power Platform by using Copilot, natural language prompts, and low-code tools. Create apps, data models, and flows that connect agents, AI models and prompts, and visualizations. Develop Dataverse data models and model-driven and canvas apps. Integrate agents and Copilot features across apps and Power Pages. Build cloud flows and business logic. They partner with admins on security, identity, roles, and policies; governance teams on responsible AI, ALM, solutions and pipelines, and monitoring; builders and architects on solution design; and stakeholders on requirements, iteration, and adoption. For this exam, candidates should have experience with Dataverse modeling, Power Automate cloud flows, Power Apps development, AI capabilities in Microsoft Power Platform, building solution assets with natural language, and Power Pages. Before taking Exam AB-410, candidates should have: Familiarity with Copilot in Power Apps, Copilot in Power Automate, Copilot in Power Pages, and Copilot in Dataverse. Awareness of creating agents with Microsoft Copilot Studio. Foundational knowledge of AI models and prompts in AI Hub. Ability to map business processes to flows, agents, or app capabilities. Ability to work with Dataverse as a core data platform. Familiarity with low-code automation, including Power Fx. Awareness of environment governance, roles, policies, and solution lifecycle steps. Ready to prove your skills? Take advantage of the discounted beta exam offer. The first 300 people who take Exam AB-410 (beta) on or before June 17, 2026, can get 80% off. To receive the discount, when you register for the exam and are prompted for payment, use AB410KBMaui. This is not a private access code. The seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. As noted, you must take the exam on or before June 17, 2026. Please note that this discount is not available in Turkey, Pakistan, India, or China. How to prepare Review the Exam AB-410 (beta) page for training resources, exam registration and other details. The Exam AB-410 study guide explores key topics covered in the exam. Connect with Microsoft Training Services Partners in your area for in-person offerings. Need other preparation ideas? Check out Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams? Ready to get started? You can take Certification exams online, from your home or office. Get the details in Online proctored exams: What to expect and how to prepare. Remember, the number of spots is limited to the first 300 candidates on or before June 17, 2026. Beta exam rescoring begins when the exam goes live, with final results released approximately 10 days later. For more details, read Creating high-quality exams: The path from beta to live. Stay tuned for general availability of this Certification in July 2026. Additional information For more AI business solution Certification updates, read our recent blog post, The AI job boom continues: Build the skills that move business forward. Follow our Microsoft Credentials news on The Skills Hub Blog as we roll out additional new Certifications in June and July 2026. Join our Microsoft Worldwide Learning SME Group for Credentials on LinkedIn for beta exam alerts and opportunities to help shape future Microsoft learning and assessments. If you’d like to learn more about Microsoft Credentials, go to AI Skills Navigator.
Request to merge multiple Microsoft Learn certification IDs
Hello Microsoft Learn Support Team, I was advised by Pearson VUE and Microsoft Support to contact Microsoft Learn to request merging of my certification profiles. I have paid for the PL-900 exam, but the exam confirmation and status are not visible due to multiple Microsoft Learn IDs. The following Microsoft Learn IDs need to be merged: - ms1100781607 - ms1100998551 - ms1100999029 Kindly help merge these IDs and associate my PL-900 exam correctly. Thank you.Become a Microsoft Q&A Product Champion
The Microsoft Q&A Product Champions Program is a community-driven initiative created to recognize and support people who help others by sharing their knowledge across Microsoft Q&A product forums. If you’re already contributing—or want to start—this is your sign. Every question answered, every tip shared, and every problem solved has real impact. In the Product Champions Program, that impact doesn’t go unnoticed. Everyone is welcome. Whether you’re just getting started or already active in Microsoft Q&A, there’s a place for you here. Program levels Every accepted answer moves you closer to the next level. As your contributions grow, you progress through the program levels—unlocking recognition, opportunities, and rewards along the way: Answerer Contributor Influencer Mentor Leader Champion Why join the Product Champions Program? Product Champions gain access to benefits that support both personal and professional growth, including: Hands‑on learning across Microsoft technologies Leadership and networking opportunities Public recognition through leaderboards and social media Badges, contributor stories, and gift card rewards opportunities Private Tech Community group access Moderator opportunities for eligible members Certification discount vouchers Champion‑level swag MVP renewal and nomination support Product tracks You can contribute in the product areas you know best—or want to learn more about—including: Microsoft 365 Windows Microsoft Teams Surface Developer Technologies Security & Management Ready to get started? If you haven’t joined yet, now’s the perfect time to take the next step. Sign up and you are automatically enrolled. Get started now! Already a member? You’re all set—just keep contributing and growing your impact. Learn more and stay connected Want to explore what’s next or stay connected with the community? These resources can help you stay informed and engaged: Program details and frequent questions Follow the Product Champions Tech Community Follow us on LinkedIn We’re excited to see you learn, contribute, and move up in the community.New Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate
Ready to move from prototypes to production? Demonstrate your readiness to deliver scalable, real‑world AI apps and agents using Azure services and Microsoft Foundry with the new Exam AI‑103 (beta). As AI changes how work is done across many industries and roles, organizations are rapidly moving AI apps and agents from experimentation into operational use. These shifts create opportunities for software developers who can build generative AI apps and production‑ready agents on Azure. To meet these opportunities, we’re introducing the Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate Certification. This new Microsoft Certification focuses on modern AI development, including generative AI, multimodal scenarios, agentic workflows, and responsible AI, by using Azure services and Microsoft Foundry to deliver scalable, real-world solutions. To earn this new Certification, you need to pass Exam AI-103: Developing AI Apps and Agents on Azure, currently in beta. Is this the right Certification for you? This Certification validates the skills needed to build and deploy AI apps and agents using production‑oriented development practices on Azure by using Foundry, the unified platform for model management, agent configuration, and evaluation pipelines. Exam AI-103 demonstrates your ability to plan and manage Azure AI solutions and to implement generative AI and agentic solutions, computer vision solutions, text analysis solutions, and information extraction solutions. As a candidate for this Certification, you’re a developer who uses Python and Azure services to plan, implement, and manage AI solutions and agents that take advantage of Foundry, working closely with business stakeholders, solution architects, data scientists, DevOps engineers, and cloud security engineers. For this exam, you should have experience developing apps by using Python, and you need to be familiar with the capabilities of general AI, generative AI, and Azure services. Exam AI-103 provides a modernized, scenario‑driven focus on agent development as the core of Azure AI solution building, expanding coverage into multimodal generation (images, video, speech), visual understanding, large language model–first text analysis, and information‑extraction pipelines for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). Candidates demonstrate their ability to work with end‑to‑end solution scenarios that involve grounded, multimodal, governed, and secure AI system design. Ready to prove your skills? Take advantage of the discounted beta exam offer. The first 300 people who take Exam AI-103 (beta) on or before May 7, 2026, can get 80% off. To receive the discount, when you register for the exam and are prompted for payment, use code AI103Claxton. This is not a private access code. The seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. As noted, you must take the exam on or before May 7, 2026. Please note that this discount is not available in Turkey, Pakistan, India, or China. How to prepare Get ready to take Exam AI-103 (beta): Review the Exam AI-103 (beta) exam page for details. The Exam AI-103 study guide explores key topics covered in the exam. Work through the self-paced Course AI-103: Develop AI apps and agents on Azure. Connect with Microsoft Training Services Partners in your area for in-person offerings. Need other preparation ideas? Check out Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams? Ready to get started? You can take Certification exams online, from your home or office. Get the details in Online proctored exams: What to expect and how to prepare. Remember, only the first 300 candidates can get 80% off Exam AI-103 (beta) with code AI103Claxton on or before May 7, 2026. Beta exam rescoring begins when the exam goes live, with final results released approximately 10 days later. For more details, read Creating high-quality exams: The path from beta to live. Stay tuned for general availability of this Certification in June 2026. Additional information For more cloud and AI Certification updates, read our recent blog post, The AI job boom is here. Are you ready to showcase your skills? Follow our credentials news on The Skills Hub blog as we roll out additional new Certifications in April, May, and June 2026. Join our Microsoft Worldwide Learning SME Group for Credentials on LinkedIn for beta exam alerts and opportunities to help shape future Microsoft learning and assessments. Explore Microsoft Credentials on AI Skills Navigator.
