AI adoption is rapidly picking up speed—but is your team ready to make the most of it?
Organizations around the world are starting to see generative AI as a real game-changer. To stay ahead, many are already aligning their investments toward new AI-powered tools, platforms, and infrastructure. But despite the prospect of big returns, these businesses face a myriad of challenges when it comes to adoption.
One of the biggest hurdles? A recent IDC study, Business Opportunity of AI, suggests that it’s the AI skills gap. Many business leaders feel that their teams have yet to develop the strategic knowledge and technical skills necessary to know how to use the advanced tools they’ve been given.
The takeaway is clear: real AI transformation can only occur when your people are prepared for it. That’s where we come in.
Preparing your workforce for the future
In a world of constant flux, your organization is only as agile as your people—and the skills they bring to the table. That’s why most learning and talent development professionals agree that continuous learning, paired with career development, is the key to keeping up with evolving business needs. The 2025 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report shows how organizations that prioritize career development outpace others on key indicators of business success, especially when it comes to AI adoption.
Business leaders are getting the message—a skilled workforce is a key part of AI readiness—and now, they’re taking action. According to the 2025 Work Trend Index Annual Report, nearly half (around 47%) say their top workforce strategy over the next 12 to 18 months is to train the people they already have.
There’s a big mindset shift in how leadership is thinking about AI adoption and the future. It’s not just about leading the business anymore; it’s about leading the business with AI. Nearly three times as many C-suite executives have added AI skills to their LinkedIn profiles compared to just two years ago.
Lead by learning with curated AI resources
Building AI skills has never been more vital. This is why hundreds of thousands of people of all levels, ages, and geographies joined the Microsoft AI Skills Fest 2025 to grow their skills. Thanks to our community of committed AI learners, on April 8, 2025, we earned a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the most users to take an online multi-level AI lesson in 24 hours.
The Microsoft AI Skills Fest 2025 may have wrapped up, but the learning doesn’t stop there. Here at Microsoft, we believe that everyone—students, tech workers, business professionals, and decision-makers across all disciplines—should be given the opportunity to develop the AI skills they need to build confidence, establish fluency, and thrive in the new AI economy. That’s why we’ve pulled together some of the best resources from this milestone event to help you and your team take the next step on your AI journey—no matter what your role is.
Check out our most popular training resources for business leaders and professionals, now available on demand.
You’ll find easy access to training content, including:
- Unlock productivity at work
Get a quick and practical introduction to AI in one 50-minute video. Learn what AI really is, how it’s being used in the real world, and how it can help you streamline tasks and reduce errors. You’ll even get hands-on practice with prompt writing, so you can start working smarter right away. - Use AI for everyday tasks
Want to get more done with less effort? Explore this training module to see how AI can support your daily workflow, from simplifying repetitive tasks to sparking innovation. You’ll leave with a solid understanding of AI, as well as examples of use cases and tips for writing effective prompts.
It’s time to start empowering your team to learn, grow, and innovate—so your organization can thrive in the AI economy.
Advance your teams’ career with learning paths from Microsoft and LinkedIn
We know that everyone learns at their own pace, in their own way. That’s why we’ve teamed up with LinkedIn Learning, a trusted partner for millions of learners and organizations, to help your workforce build the AI skills they need by accessing training content on platforms they already know and use.
Discover AI Skill Pathways, a comprehensive resource featuring over 150 pathways across 24 languages designed to help organizations build AI skills across a variety of roles. These learning paths and role-based credentials help learners of all levels develop, practice, and validate AI skills.
Here’s what you’ll find:
- Understanding AI: Great for leaders, managers, and professionals looking to build foundational knowledge in generative and responsible AI practices.
- Applying AI: Perfect for leaders, managers, and professionals looking to incorporate AI into their day-to-day role.
- Building AI: Ideal for AI power users working with low-code or no-code tools, as well as seasoned developers building custom generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs).
- Training and maintaining AI: Designed for tech professionals and AI and machine learning engineers who need more specialized training in managing AI models.
- Deep specialization in AI: For your most technical teams, including DevOps, data scientists, and research and development (R&D) professionals, ready to dive into advanced topics like AI for IT operations (AIOps), machine learning operations (MLOps), large language model operations (LLMOps), AI security, and AI cloud infrastructure.
Take advantage of this select AI training content at no cost. But don’t wait—this opportunity ends on July 31, 2025. After that, the LinkedIn Learning content will no longer be available for free.
Now’s the time to start building strong talent pipelines by equipping your people with mission-critical, future-ready skills—guided by LinkedIn’s unique workforce insights and Microsoft’s AI expertise.
Accelerating AI readiness
Having the right skills in place is key to scaling AI across your business. Leaders who know this are better positioned to prepare their teams and stay ahead of the competition.
We know this firsthand. At Microsoft, we’re on our own AI learning journey, putting AI to work in all facets of our business and regularly exploring how to train our own teams so they can lead in an AI-powered world. This journey is transforming how we market, sell, build, and innovate, allowing us to deliver value to our customers while building a foundation for the future. It’s also how we’ve developed a series of best practices and resources that now guide our employee AI skill-building initiatives.
As you embark on your own AI journey, we hope these insights help you chart a path forward. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to long-term AI success, but with access to the right tools and the right guidance, your workforce—and your organization—can be poised to grow, transform, and lead.
10 best practices to accelerate your employees’ AI skills
