Microsoft opens up free on-demand Artificial Intelligence (AI) training courses to the public

The demand for artificial intelligence skills is rising. Employers are facing challenges finding qualified candidates with AI and data science skills. The situation is even compounded with the current labor climate. The unemployment rate is at one of the lowest levels in decades. As part of its goal to fill skill gaps in AI and data sciences, Microsoft is opening up AI training courses and making it available for to the public for free. The new public AI training program seeks to offer up “job-ready” skills in AI and data science.

On Monday, the tech giant announced the Microsoft Professional Program in AI, the latest learning track open to the public. soft, According to Microsoft, the program would provide job-ready skills and real-world experience to engineers and others who are looking to improve their skills in AI and data science through a series of online courses that feature hands-on labs and expert instructors. With the the Professional AI Program, the track takes aspiring AI engineers from a basic introduction of AI to mastery of the skills needed to build deep learning models for AI solutions that exhibit human-like behavior and intelligence. A total of 10 courses is required, with each course taking between 8-16 hours. In announcing the program, Microsoft said:

The Microsoft Professional Program in AI is an outgrowth of Microsoft’s internal AI training initiatives, including what was internally dubbed AI School 611, a project-based semester-style program that provides a competitively selected group of employees with tools, training and mentoring from leading experts in AI and machine learning to bring new AI capabilities into their product or service.

Anyone participating in the program is required to have prerequisite experience in the following technologies: Python, Math, Ethics, Data Analysis, Azure, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing and Speech Recognition. “The program is part of a larger corporate effort that also includes the enterprise developer-focused AI School, which provides online videos and other assets to help developers build AI skills. That program includes both general educational tools for developers looking to expand AI capabilities and specific guidance on how developers can use Microsoft’s tools and services,” the company said on the program’s web page

The AI track takes aspiring AI engineers from a basic introduction of AI to mastery of the skills needed to build deep learning models for AI solutions that exhibit human-like behavior and intelligence. Each course runs for three months and starts at the beginning of a quarter. January—March, April—June, July—September, and October —December. The capstone runs for four weeks at the beginning of each quarter: January, April, July, October. For exact dates for the current course run, please refer to the course detail page on edX.org.
* Courses can be taken during any course run and in any order. When multiple course options are listed for a skill, only one must be completed to satisfy the requirements for graduation.