Powering career and business growth through AI-led, human-enhanced skilling experiences
Every day, it seems like there’s a new AI tool making headlines. In fact, this year alone, thousands of new AI-powered apps and platforms have launched—reshaping how we work, create, and solve problems. Instead of tech that demands more attention, we’re focused on AI that helps you make better decisions and gives you the skills to grow your career and your business. Work Change Report: AI is Coming to Work. January 2025. All this innovation makes one thing clear: evolving your skills at the pace businesses expect is essential—and really challenging. With over 3.6[1] billion people in the global workforce, organizations and individuals everywhere are grappling with the same question: How do we keep pace with AI? It’s not just a technical challenge—it’s a human one. With the steady stream of new courses, articles, and videos, finding exactly what you need—in the right format, with the right depth, and ready to share with your team—can feel overwhelming. We’ve heard from business leaders, developers, and employees alike: you want learning that’s relevant to your roles and projects, easily accessible, and short enough to fit into your busy day. That’s why we’re committed to deliver clear, role-based skilling paths and AI-led, human-enhanced skilling in a unified and accessible way—so teams can adopt AI faster and lead with confidence. Introducing AI Skills Navigator Today, at Microsoft Ignite, we’re releasing the next-generation AI Skills Navigator—an agentic learning space, bringing together AI-powered skilling experiences and credentials that help individuals build career skills and organizations worldwide accelerate their business. This is a smarter, more personalized way to build both technology skills and the uniquely human skills required to set yourself apart in an AI-dominated workplace. A single, unified experience: Build and verify your skills with AI and cloud content and credentials from Microsoft, LinkedIn Learning, and GitHub—all in one spot. Personalized recommendations: Get learning content curated just for you—based on your role, goals, and learning style, whether you prefer videos, guides, or hands-on labs. Innovative learning experiences: Immerse yourself in interactive skilling sessions—videos of human instructors, combined with real-time agentic AI coaching. Watch, engage, and understand concepts more deeply, like you would in a live classroom. Learn the way you like: Prefer to listen? Instantly convert skilling materials into AI-generated podcasts to fit learning effortlessly into your day. Custom, shareable skilling playlists: Use AI to build tailored learning paths that you can easily assign to your team or share with your friends—and track their progress—turning upskilling into a collaborative social experience. & Digital Skills, Vodafone. AI Skills Navigator is now available to everyone around the world as a public preview! For now, all features are in English, but stay tuned—we’re working quickly to add more features and languages, so you can keep growing your skills—wherever you are. Showcasing expertise in action Learning new skills is important. Proving to employers that you have them is just as critical. That’s why we’re expanding Microsoft Credentials—trusted for over 30 years—to help you verify your real-world skills in AI, cloud, and security. Whether you’re looking to stand out in your career or find the right employee to build out your team, our credentials are here to help highlight and verify great talent. Gartner Unveils Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users in 2026 and Beyond (press release). October 21, 2025. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Here’s how we’re evolving Microsoft Credentials: New AI credentials for business professionals, leaders, and early-career talent. More technical credentials focused on secure, scalable AI solutions. Flexible, short-form training content and skills validation for busy schedules. Unlocking human potential with strategic partnerships We know that building AI skills is a team effort. That’s why we’re partnering with leaders like LinkedIn, GitHub, and Pearson to bring you even more ways to learn and grow. Together, we’re making sure you have the resources and support you need—no matter your industry or role. LinkedIn and Microsoft are working together to set a new global standard for AI upskilling. With AI Skills Navigator, you find curated LinkedIn Learning courses that blend essential human and AI skills for every business and technical role. Whether you’re in marketing, finance, HR, operations, or IT, discover practical training that helps you stay ahead. This is just the beginning. We’ll continue to bring you more learning that helps you build professional and leadership skills. GitHub and Microsoft are making it even easier for developers to grow and shine in the AI era. By joining forces within AI Skills Navigator, we’re opening the door for over 100 million developers worldwide to build, prove, and keep expanding their AI skills. Our ongoing partnership is all about nurturing a vibrant developer community that is ready to innovate and keep pace with the fast-changing world of AI. Pearson and Microsoft are teaming up to make it easier than ever to earn and showcase your skills. Credly by Pearson enables professionals to validate their knowledge and gain recognition for their expertise through globally recognized digital credentials. With over 120 million credentials issued and rapid growth in areas like AI, Azure, and cybersecurity, this partnership will empower people to develop in-demand skills and advance their careers. This capability is coming soon. When it’s launched, all Microsoft Credentials will be published to Credly, giving learners a seamless way to earn, manage, and share their achievements. As these exciting partnerships continue to grow, we’re grateful for our Training Services Partners and their long-standing expertise in professional skilling—tailored, human-led training that helps people and organizations everywhere achieve real, impactful results. Helping build careers and businesses, one skill at a time AI combined with your ambition creates a future of tremendous opportunity for you. The hardest part is knowing where to start and direct your focus as the world moves so quickly around us. This is where we can help—whether you’re just getting started or you’re already far along the AI learning path. Together, we’re building a world where everyone can grow, evolve, and lead with confidence. The real frontier isn’t about technology—it’s about what people like you can achieve with it. And we’re here to help you get there, one skill at a time. [1] The World Bank: Labor force, total. Data source: ILO, OECD, and World Bank estimates.Certifications refresh: AI-focused and fundamentals updates
As the age of AI reshapes the business landscape, organizations are embedding AI into every layer of their operations. Professionals, students, entrepreneurs, and others are learning to not only implement business solutions but also to design and integrate AI-powered apps and experiences, orchestrate autonomous agents, and govern ethical AI systems. To support these skill-building needs for learners in all career stages, Microsoft Learn is refreshing our Certification and training offerings with a focus on AI, Microsoft 365, Copilot, and agents. We’re also retiring some Fundamentals Certifications. New AI-focused Certifications and training opportunities Our upcoming Certifications provide today’s innovators with opportunities to thrive in an agent-first, AI-powered tomorrow. Watch for more details on these Certifications in the coming months. A new Fundamentals Certification to validate foundational AI skills and equip learners to confidently navigate and manage core Microsoft 365 services—including Copilot and agents—while building their understanding of identity, security, and compliance essentials in Microsoft Entra and Microsoft Purview. An expert Certification to validate AI-first expertise, including advanced skills in generative AI, multi-agent orchestration, and agentic design by using Microsoft Copilot Studio, Azure AI services, and Dynamics 365. We’re also introducing a series of beginner-level training courses over the next few months designed to help learners in functional roles understand how Copilot, agents, and AI embedded in business systems like Dynamics 365 can streamline their day-to-day work. These AI-focused courses will be released for sales, service, finance, and supply chain roles. Retirement of select Fundamentals Certifications We’re retiring the following Certifications: December 31, 2025 The Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM) Certification (Exam MB-910: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM)). The Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (ERP) Certification (Exam MB-920: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (ERP)). March 31st, 2026 The Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals Certification (Exam MS-900: Microsoft 365 Fundamentals). The following questions and answers can help you determine how these retirements could impact your learning journey: Q. What if I’m studying for Exam MS-900, Exam MB-910, or Exam MB-920? A. If you’re currently preparing for Exam MB-910, or Exam MB-920, we strongly recommend that you take the exam before December 31, 2025, or March 31 st , 2026 in case of Exam MS-900. You won’t be able to take these exams after this date. Q. I’ve already earned one of these Certifications. What happens now? A. If you’ve already earned the Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals, Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM), or Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (ERP) Certification, it will stay on the transcript in your profile on Microsoft Learn. (Note: Fundamentals Certifications don’t expire.) Q. How do these Certification retirements affect partners? A. Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM) (Exam MB-910: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM)), and Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (ERP) (Exam MB-920: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (ERP)) are not included in the requirements for the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program's (MAICPP’s) designations and specializations. Stay future-ready AI is changing the game, and so can you. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements on these new Microsoft Certification offerings to help you do just that. In the meantime, be sure to browse all Microsoft Credentials.New Certification for architects of agentic AI business solutions
Note: All beta seats with the 80% discount code have been claimed. You can still take the exam during the beta period by using any other discount codes you have or by paying the full price. We’re looking for architects of agentic AI business solutions to take our new beta exam. Do you have experience envisioning and implementing AI-driven architecture strategies, integrating agents into business solutions, and guiding organizations toward AI adoption? Are you skilled at designing, prototyping, and securing scalable AI solutions, analyzing technical requirements, and leading the end-to-end delivery of AI-centric solutions that align with business goals? If you excel at championing AI technologies, developing cohesive design application lifecycle management (ALM) and environment strategies, and driving enterprise transformation with agentic-first approaches, be sure to check out this exam. The new Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect Certification validates your expertise in the skills listed in the previous paragraph and offers you the opportunity to prove your abilities. To earn this Certification, you need to have at least one active Associate-level Certification from the list of 11 AI business solutions Certifications and you must pass Exam AB-100: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect, currently in beta. Is this the right Certification for you? This Certification could be a great fit if you’re an experienced solutions architect who specializes in designing and delivering AI-driven business solutions that transform organizations and foster innovation. You should be highly skilled in architecting agentic-first and multi-agent orchestrated solutions by using generative AI and Microsoft services, including Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft Copilot Studio, Azure AI services, and Azure OpenAI. You should also be proficient in working with agents, prompts, and multiple language models, and you can adopt architectural frameworks to deliver measurable outcomes aligned with enterprise success metrics. Plus, you’re comfortable with open standards to help ensure interoperability and extensibility. Ready to prove your skills? Take advantage of the discounted beta exam offer. The first 300 people who take Exam AB-100 (beta) on or before November 18, 2025, can get 80% off market price. To receive the discount, when you register for the exam and are prompted for payment, use code AB100KBsunshine. 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 November 18, 2025. Please note that this beta exam is not available in Turkey, Pakistan, India, or China. Get ready to take Exam AB-100 (beta): Review the Exam AB-100 (beta) exam page for details. The Exam AB-100 study guide explores key topics covered on the exam. Want even more in-depth training? We’re creating new instructor-led training for this exam, Course AB-100: Architecting agentic AI business solutions, scheduled for release in January 2026. In the meantime, you can connect with Microsoft Training Services Partners in your area for other in-person offerings. Need other preparation ideas? Check out my blog post, Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams? Did you know that you can take any role-based exam online? Online delivered exams—taken from your home or office—can be less hassle, less stress, and even less worry than traveling to a test center, especially if you’re adequately prepared for what to expect. To find out more, read my blog post, Online proctored exams: What to expect and how to prepare. The rescore process starts on the day an exam goes live, and final scores for beta exams are released approximately 10 days after that. For details on the timing of beta exam rescoring and results, check out my post, Creating high-quality exams: The path from beta to live. Ready to get started? Remember, the number of spots is limited to the first 300 candidates taking Exam AB-100 (beta) on or before November 18, 2025. Stay tuned for general availability of this Certification by early January 2026. Learn more about Microsoft Credentials. Related announcements We recently migrated our subject matter expert (SME) database to LinkedIn. To be notified of beta exam availability or opportunities to help with the development of exam, assessment, or learning content, sign up today for the Microsoft Worldwide Learning SME Group for Credentials.
Provenance at Scale | The Trust Imprint Protocol for Persistent Agent Identity-Revocable Authority
Executive summary Autonomy without identity is a technical blind spot with real consequences. I published the Sovereign Agent Manifesto (V2026) and a Technical Announcement for the Trust Imprint Protocol, a protocol-level design that binds an agent’s authority, semantics, and evidentiary history to a persistent, revocable identity. The design is implemented, tested, and supported by a substantial Success Corpus that documents operational behavior and edge cases. Why this matters to Microsoft engineers and platform teams Modern orchestration and cloud AI services solve chaining, memory, and tool invocation. What they rarely solve is who the agent actually is when it acts across sessions, tenants, and cloud boundaries. Without identity primitives, long-running agents are ephemeral: they accumulate state but cannot prove continuity, inherit bounded authority from a human origin, or present auditable lineage for decisions. The Trust Imprint Protocol supplies practical primitives that can be integrated into Azure AI stacks, Copilot extensions, and serverless orchestration to make agentic systems accountable and verifiable. Technical highlights Handshake primitive — deterministic mechanism for an agent to inherit bounded authority from a human operator. SIK Secure Identity Key — a revocable, persistent identity token that survives restarts, migrations, and scaling events. Deterministic semantic scope — a constrained interpretation layer so an agent’s intent and meaning remain auditable. Evidence corpus — a 900+ item Success Corpus demonstrating operational behaviors, edge cases, and revocation scenarios. Practical integration ideas for Azure and Microsoft tooling Identity middleware that attaches SIK metadata to every action, designed to interoperate with Azure AD and managed identities. Provenance layer in orchestration engines such as Durable Functions and Logic Apps to record handshake events, revocation signals, and evidence pointers. Verification API for downstream services to validate an agent’s identity and recent behavioral record before accepting high-risk actions. Example scenarios: accountable multi-agent coordination, enterprise automation with revocable authority, and reproducible research experiments requiring verifiable agent identity. What I’m asking from this community I welcome practical feedback, integration ideas, and collaborators who care about agent accountability. Specific asks: Engineers to prototype middleware for SIK propagation in Azure SDKs. Researchers to help formalize identity continuity metrics and verification protocols. Platform maintainers to discuss API design for provenance, revocation, and verification. Links and next steps Read the Sovereign Agent Manifesto and Technical Announcement at www.husin.org. If you want a short technical walkthrough, a concise design doc, or sample code snippets for Azure integration, I can share them. Closing brief I share this as an engineer who prefers hard evidence over slogans. The Trust Imprint Protocol is not a thought experiment dressed in buzzwords — it is an implemented architecture backed by documented successes and a 900+ item corpus of operational evidence. If you value practical, auditable approaches to agent autonomy, this work offers a concrete path forward. I’m open to critique, collaboration, and pragmatic pilots — and yes, I enjoy a little dark humor about the future of autonomous systems, because if we don’t laugh at our own hubris, who will. — Ahmed Al.Hussain Engineer & Systems Architect
