AI transformation starts
with skill building, and
effective AI skill building
starts with Microsoft Learn.
Today, businesses are at a significant inflection point
as artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is skyrocketing,
empowering teams everywhere to achieve more. A
recent IDC study commissioned by Microsoft found
that 71% of companies already use AI, while 22% plan
to do so within the next 12 months. Yet, despite this
momentum, 52% of companies report that a shortage
of skilled talent is the biggest barrier to implementing
AI at scale.1
Business leaders looking to prepare their
organizations for AI transformation need a cohesive,
strategic AI adoption plan grounded in a companywide skill-building initiative.
AI’s ubiquity across business functions means
that companies need to approach AI skill building
differently from traditional technical learning programs.
Organizations need to consider how to upskill their
entire workforce—from leadership to IT to line of
business users—to maximize their investment in AI.
For organizations ready to start, Microsoft Learn has
resources that span the AI adoption journey, including
role-specific and scenario-specific training that
addresses functional and project needs. Skill building
with Microsoft means learning the foundations of
AI to help business leaders craft strategic AI plans,
giving technical teams the knowledge to prepare for,
implement, and build AI applications with Microsoft’s
AI solutions, and empowering business users with
AI skills to supercharge their productivity and
performance.
A new era of AI has arrived. Start your business’s AI
transformation today with Microsoft Learn, the trusted
source to help your team get skilled up and ready to
power AI transformation with the Microsoft Cloud.
HIGHLIGHTS
As AI transforms the way work is
done, many businesses are struggling
to implement AI solutions due to a
skills gap. A lot of these organizations
lack a structured approach to AI
learning, partition AI to small teams,
and are waiting to engage.
To accelerate AI transformation,
organizations need to take a skillsfirst approach.
- Take a structured approach
to AI skill building: Build skills
based on individual and team
goals: Understanding AI, Preparing
for AI, Using AI, and Building AI
solutions. - Upskill across every business
function—from leadership to IT
to dev to line of business users. - Start with a trusted partner.
Microsoft is here to help you on
your AI learning journey. Train
your employees on AI foundations,
skills, and Microsoft AI solutions
with Microsoft Learn at
learn.microsoft.com/ai.
Discover how Microsoft
Learn can help accelerate
your AI journey
learn.microsoft.com/AI
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 4
Does your business have the
skills to transform with AI?
of companies are
already using AI.1
71%
of companies report that
a shortage of skilled talent
is the biggest barrier to
implementing at scale.1
52%
A new era of AI has arrived.
Start your business’s AI transformation today with Microsoft
Learn, the trusted source to help your team get skilled up and
ready to power AI transformation with the Microsoft Cloud.
ACCELERATE AI TRANSFORMATION WITH A SKILLS-FIRST APPROACH
Take a structured
approach to AI skill
building.
Upskill across every
business function.
Start with a
trusted partner.
AI is transforming
the business
landscape
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 6
AI is transforming the
business landscape
While artificial intelligence (AI) computing dates back
to the early 1950s, recent advancements have rapidly
accelerated the development and adoption of this
transformational technology. In 2015, only 0.71% of
Russell 3000 companies mentioned AI on earnings
calls; by 2023, that number was 16.63%.2
And with the
recent release of new generative AI solutions—such as
ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot—interest in AI is only
accelerating.
In 2023, the total market size for AI reached $241.80
billion and is projected to reach $738.76 billion by
- Generative AI alone reached a market size of
$44.89 billion in 2023, up 90% from the year prior
($23.17 billion) and a whopping 692% from 2020 ($5.67
billion). By 2030, the generative AI market is expected
to reach $206.95 billion at an annual growth rate of
15.83%.3
Part of this momentum is driven by the fact that
generative AI is fundamentally shifting how we interact
with computers. AI previously lived in a black box,
embedded deep in software solutions that couldn’t be
touched. By contrast, today’s generative AI experiences
enable anybody to interact with—and benefit from—
artificial intelligence.
Today’s generative AI
experiences enable
anybody to interact
with—and benefit from—
artificial intelligence.
As a result, generative AI is positioned to be ubiquitous
across every industry and business function, reshaping
business cultures and how work gets done. Technical
teams are using state-of-the-art AI platforms to train
new models and build AI-enabled tools, while copilot
AI market growth rate 3
BILLION U.S. DOLLARS
2020
0
50
100
150
200
6 11
23
45
67
88
110
132
157
182
207
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building
7
experiences are helping teams work smarter, boost
productivity and creativity, and stay connected.
Leveraging the power of AI, sellers can review sales
data and predict when a customer is ready to buy, legal
teams can audit contracts to ensure compliance with
new regulations, supply chain leaders can analyze ERP
data to find inefficiencies and optimize processes, and
so much more.
According to a recent Microsoft study, organizations
that adopted generative AI tools experienced an
18% increase in customer satisfaction, employee
productivity, and market share, while 70% of Copilot
users said they were more productive, and 68% said it
improved the quality of their work.
4
As the AI market booms, business leaders are working
to position their companies to capitalize on the
opportunities AI presents. According to a recent IDC
study commissioned by Microsoft, 71% of companies
are already using AI, and 22% are planning to do so
within the next 12 months.
1
However, despite this
high interest, AI adoption does not come without its
challenges.
of Copilot users said they were
more productive.
4
70%
Explore Microsoft’s
apps and services
microsoft.com/AI
A skills-first
approach to
AI adoption
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 9
A skills-first approach to
AI adoption
AI accelerates the skills gap
For years, organizations have been battling a
growing skills gap that has had material costs to
many businesses. Across IT, for example, companies
report that a lack of skills had significant costs to their
business, delaying the development of new products
and services (44.6%), slowing the creation of new
hardware and software (43.6%), and causing challenges
meeting quality objectives (43.5%). Additionally, it
hurt customer satisfaction (40.5%) and led to lost
revenue (37.5%).5
While many IT departments have suffered from talent
shortages, the problem is not partitioned to technical
skills; almost all departments face talent shortages
and skill gaps within their teams. Eighty-seven percent
of companies worldwide reported experiencing skill
gaps or said they expect to within the next five years.6
And this problem is only expected to accelerate as AI
changes the way work is done.
Despite interest in AI soaring, many businesses feel
they lack the strategic knowledge, technical skills, and
solution proficiency to effectively implement AI. Fiftytwo percent of companies report that a shortage of
skilled talent is the biggest barrier to implementing AI
Despite interest in AI
soaring, many businesses
feel they lack the strategic
knowledge, technical skills,
and solution proficiency to
effectively implement AI.
at scale,¹ the top cited challenge, while 82% of leaders
say their employees will need new skills to be prepared
for the growth of AI.7 Fifty-eight percent of companies
reported they were already creating plans to upskill
and reskill their workforce to help overcome the AI
skills gap,8
with many more companies likely to follow.
of companies report that
a shortage of skilled talent
is the biggest barrier to
implementing at scale.1
52%
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 10
Companies face challenges in
preparing their teams for AI
For many businesses, bridging the technology
skills gap may not be as simple as it sounds; 84%
of companies listed training existing talent on new
technology as a major technological and labor
challenge, with 28% saying it is a significant challenge.9
Based on Microsoft’s internal research with customers
and partners, the same trends appear to hold true for
AI skill building,10 which exposes several key challenges
businesses are facing with AI training today.
Lacking a structured approach
To start, many organizations currently lack a structured
approach to AI skill building. As a result, they may find
it difficult to train teams on AI foundations or how to
properly implement and build. These companies often
find themselves at an impasse, lacking the knowledge
to effectively establish use cases with ROI projections
required for broader adoption and adequately address
technical requirements, such as those surrounding data
security.
Not upskilling across every business function
The second finding from our research was that many
organizations partitioned AI to small teams. As a result,
they were training IT teams but not those building
solutions or business users. Alternatively, some were
training business users without training IT on how to
properly prepare systems and implement. Because AI
cuts across nearly every team—impacting company
culture and how work gets done—these businesses
are quickly finding that small-group skilling is an
ineffective approach to building broader adoption.
Waiting to engage
Lastly, our research showed that many organizations
are waiting to engage in skilling curricula until they
have defined approved AI usage. This approach to AI
skill building has two limitations. The first is that a lack
of AI skill building limits progress in developing an
AI strategy, which, in turn, promotes a lack of AI skill
building. This circular problem results in businesses
becoming stuck in this cycle, unable to move forward
on their adoption journey.
The other challenge companies may face with the
wait-and-see approach is that employees aren’t
waiting. In a recent GWI survey, 44% of respondents
said they use AI at least weekly at work, with nearly a
quarter (23.7%) saying they use AI at least daily. These
numbers are even higher for Gen Z employees, nearly
two-thirds (60.6%) of whom said they use AI at work at
least weekly, while a third (32.4%) reported using it at
least once a day. At the same time, nearly half (46.5%)
reported not feeling comfortable disclosing their use
of AI to their boss.11 As a result, the lack of a structured
AI learning program is likely to result in less responsible
use of AI.
24%
10%
18%
5%
Daily AI usage at work 11
GEN Z
GEN Y
GEN X
BABY BOOMERS
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 11
AI adoption requires a
skills-first approach
To ensure that business leaders have the knowledge to
develop cohesive AI strategies, technical teams have
the skills to train and deploy new solutions, and line of
business users have the skills to utilize these new tools,
companies must take a skills-first approach to AI.
The shift to a skills-first approach—which emphasizes a
person’s skills and competencies in addition to degrees,
job histories, and job titles—is a growing trend as
businesses seek more effective ways to address the
challenges of attracting, hiring, developing, and
redeploying talent. To address the skills gap, 43%
of companies said they are looking to build internal
capabilities through skill-building initiatives, while
24% of companies said they would primarily focus on
hiring generalists and focusing on adaptability, further
demonstrating the need to upskill talent.12
Further supporting a skills-first approach is an
employee demand to learn new skills. Sixty-one
percent of employees report that learning new skills is
important to them.13 Two-thirds of respondents who
have access to AI tools in the workplace said they are
interested in receiving training on AI tools to support
their work, with nearly a quarter reporting they’re very
interested.14 This high value placed on learning is part
of the reason that providing learning opportunities is
the top cited way organizations are working to improve
retention.15
of respondents who have access to
AI tools in the workplace said they
are interested in receiving training
on AI tools to support their work.14
67%
Shifting to a culture of AI transformation requires
shifting to a culture of learning with a skills-first
approach. Businesses looking to lead with learning
must invest in developing a structured approach to AI
learning, upskilling across every business function, and
starting today with a trusted partner.
Shifting to a culture of AI
transformation requires
shifting to a culture of learning
with a skills-first approach.
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 12
Develop a structured
approach
The AI learning journey
Microsoft Learn has developed a four-stage approach
that companies can follow to upskill their workforce
on AI. As businesses and individuals may be at
different places in their AI journey, these stages are not
intended to be linear, nor are they predefined paths or
mandatory steps. These stages have been designed as
a framework for organizations to discover the training
resources needed to upskill their teams. Across each
stage, we have curated role-based training resources—
ranging from fundamentals to technical knowledge
to business-user training—that teams can leverage to
develop their AI skills.
Using AI
Discover skills to use
copilots and maximize their benefits.
Building AI solutions
Learn how to build AI experiences into your
own apps and services.
Preparing for AI
Gain essential knowledge to get your
infrastructure ready to adopt copilots.
Understanding AI
Start with a strong foundation. Learn AI
concepts, definitions, and key terms.
THE FOUR-STAGE AI LEARNING JOURNEY
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 13
Understanding AI
Powering your AI transformation with the Microsoft
Cloud starts with building a strong foundation of AI
knowledge. Developing a basic understanding of AI
concepts, such as simple definitions and key terms,
empowers team members across the organization
and provides a common knowledge framework
when developing and deploying AI solutions. When
everyone across the organization is aligned on what AI
is, how it works, and what services and technologies it
includes, your organization will be empowered to take
full advantage of it and drive greater business success.
Following our commitment to leading our industry in
the development of secure and responsible AI, skilling
content in this stage of your learning journey will also
help you understand and gain skills in responsible AI,
including the principles and best practices that ensure
that AI work is accountable, inclusive, reliable, safe, fair,
transparent, secure, and respects privacy.
Preparing for AI
Organizations need certain skills now to establish the
infrastructure required to enable and use AI solutions
successfully. Accordingly, the preparing for AI stage
entails acquiring the knowledge to successfully
prepare organizations to onboard copilot experiences
and build AI apps.
For example, companies deploying Copilot for
Microsoft 365 need to know how to properly manage
their Microsoft 365 tenant and prepare their data for
Copilot searches—including protecting sensitive data.
Similarly, deploying Copilot for Security requires teams
know how to review and refine security operations—
including knowledge of Microsoft Defender and
Microsoft Sentinel—to monitor, identify, investigate,
and respond to threats. Those considering training
their own machine learning models will need skills
to build end-to-end analytics solutions focused on
data engineering and data science, as well as deep
knowledge of Microsoft Fabric and Microsoft Power BI.
Using AI
AI is poised to impact every discipline within the
organization. We’ve built AI capabilities into the
Microsoft Cloud solutions customers are already
using today, helping everyone be more productive,
more creative, more efficient, and more innovative
with Microsoft Copilot across every Microsoft Cloud
experience. To maximize the effective use of Copilot
and other AI solutions, end users must understand how
to use them and gain the skills to write good prompts.
Furthermore, as AI changes the way work is done, it
has the potential to create a culture shift, particularly
for business users. Ensuring teams have the knowledge
and skills to utilize AI effectively will help provide
alignment as organizations move towards a culture of
AI transformation.
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 14
Building AI solutions
Part of what makes Microsoft AI’s apps and services so
powerful is that they give businesses the flexibility and
tools to build transformational experiences into their
own apps and services. We’re making it easy for any
organization to build and extend AI capabilities into
new and existing apps and copilot solutions using the
same open ecosystem stack and AI services Microsoft
used to create our own Copilot.
Unlocking this power requires giving team members
the skills to design and build custom solutions to
solve unique business problems, whether they’re data
scientists gaining the skills to create and train machine
learning models with Azure Machine Learning,
developers and AI engineers learning how to build
custom copilot experiences and AI-powered apps
with Azure AI Services and Azure Open AI, or citizen
developers gaining the skills to create intelligent
chatbots with Microsoft Copilot Studio.
The opportunities to
leverage AI remain limited
by only two things: your
imagination and the skills to
build your vision.
The opportunities to leverage AI remain limited by
only two things: your imagination and the skills to
build your vision. By successfully training your teams to
build AI solutions, you can unlock the collective power
of your organization to develop new and creative
solutions that will drive productivity and growth.
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 15
Upskill across every
business function
A functional approach to
AI learning
The ubiquity of AI across the organization requires
that businesses rethink their skill-building approaches.
From leadership to IT to dev to line of business users,
everyone in an organization plays an essential role in
company-wide AI adoption. Simply upskilling IT is no
longer enough; to help develop, deploy, and make use
of new AI solutions, companies must upskill their entire
workforce in AI. All teams must obtain foundational
AI knowledge, and every department must build the
necessary skills to enable AI transformation.
Simply upskilling IT is no
longer enough; to help
develop, deploy, and make
use of new AI solutions,
companies must upskill their
entire workforce in AI.
Enable AI strategy across leadership teams
Any successful AI implementation requires a sound
strategy, and every sound AI strategy is rooted in deep
foundational knowledge. According to Microsoft’s
internal research, business leaders driving successful
AI strategies and adoption in their organizations need
to develop a strong understanding of AI concepts,
definitions, and key terms.¹⁰
In addition to learning foundational AI concepts,
technical leaders who are leading AI strategy with
a focus on technology adoption require deeper
knowledge of how to prepare IT infrastructure. A basic
understanding of how to prepare infrastructure and
how copilot experiences work will also help leaders
understand what is possible with AI so they can better
develop their short-term strategy and longer-term
AI visions.
Business leader
Leads AI strategy and adoption in an organization.
IT professional
Takes care of infrastructure needed to implement, deploy,
secure, and manage AI solutions.
Technical leader
Leads AI strategy and adoption with a focus on technology
adoption.
Business user/Functional consultant
Uses AI technologies, like copilots, or helps implement AI
technologies.
Developer/AI engineer/Software
architect
Builds AI solutions and apps.
Citizen developer
Builds low-code AI apps.
Data scientist/ML engineer
Implements data science and machine learning solutions.
Data engineer/Data analyst
Implements end-to-end analytics and data engineering to
prepare for AI solutions.
AI SKILLS BY ROLE
Learning AI by role
aka.ms/LearnAIByRole
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 16
of companies expect increased
demand for individuals with AI and
machine learning knowledge.12
80%
Prepare IT to enable IT systems
For many companies, the most significant demands
for AI skill building fall within technical disciplines, as
deploying AI solutions not only requires skills that are
AI-evident but also skills to prepare organizations for
AI, including security, software management, data
modernization, and analytics.
Forty-five percent of businesses reported that
generative AI and prompt engineering are the areas of
business that will require the most AI skills, while data
science and analytics (44%) and platform engineering
(37%) were other top technical skills that businesses
feel will be required.16 Additionally, 80% of companies
expect increased demand for individuals with AI and
machine learning knowledge, while demand for skills
related to AI software development and AI-integrated
IT infrastructure are projected to increase by 59% and
58%, respectively.12
IT professionals need to learn how to take care of
the infrastructure required to implement, deploy,
secure, and manage AI solutions. Data scientists
and machine learning engineers need the skills to
effectively implement data science and machine
learning solutions, while data professionals, including
data engineers and data analysts, need the skills to
implement end-to-end analytics and data engineering
to prepare and manage their AI solutions.
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 17
Areas of business requiring AI skills 16
SHARE OF RESPONDENTS
0%
10%
20%
30%
50%
40%
45% 44% GENERATIVE AI AND PROMPT ENGINEERING DATA SCIENCE/ DATA ANALYTICS
ENVIRONMENTAL
SOCIAL
GOVERNANCE
DEVELOPMENT
OPERATIONS
RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT
LOGISTICS/SUPPLY
CHAIN PLANNING
STRATEGIC DECISION
MAKING
PLATFORM
ENGINEERING
LINE OF
BUSINESS
38% 38% 38% 37% 36% 36%
33%
28%
Train developers to build new solutions
The flexibility of generative AI opens a lot of doors
for how it can be used. Many companies are already
developing custom AI solutions to help address internal
needs, while others are integrating AI into existing and
new products to drive growth. Thirty-eight percent of
businesses cited development operations as an area
that will require AI skills.16
Developers and AI engineers will require the skills
to help customize and build new AI solutions.
Similarly, flexible low-code development platforms
can empower low-code developers to create new
applications that address targeted needs.
Empower AI utilization and use cases across
the organization
Capitalizing on the many benefits of AI not only
requires effective implementation and tools; it
requires that those tools are effectively utilized by
line of business users. Accordingly, businesses need to
train their users on AI fundamentals and how to use
these new AI solutions, such as copilots, to maximize
their benefits.
Because AI cuts across nearly every team, it is not only
impacting how work gets done but is also creating a
culture shift for business users. Upskilling all teams is
essential to ensure organization-wide adoption and
alignment.
Explore Microsoft
AI role-based learning
recommendations
aka.ms/LearnAIByRole
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 18
“By offering comprehensive
curated resources, tools, and
guidance, Microsoft Learn
supports you and your team as
you build the skills necessary
to execute new AI innovation
projects and achieve your
business objectives.”
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 19
Start today with a
trusted partner
AI skill-building with Microsoft
As business leaders begin to explore the market,
it is easy to become overwhelmed by the rapidly
growing number of companies in the AI market, and
responding to the pace of change can be paralyzing.
Fortunately, starting your skill-building journey
with Microsoft Learn is an easy decision. Microsoft
empowers organizations to unlock productivity with
Microsoft Copilot, build AI capabilities with an open AI
platform and partner ecosystem, and co-innovate with
trust with industry-leading responsible and secure AI.
Furthermore, Microsoft’s AI apps and services integrate
with the Microsoft tools your team is already using,
accelerating learning curves and time-to-value.
Microsoft Learn provides organizations with learning
content for wherever you are in your AI journey. Roleand technology-based training guide your teams
through structured learning paths and help them build
on existing skills.
Start learning with a
trusted partner
Utilize Microsoft’s innovative technology and tools
Microsoft is empowering businesses to lead in AI with
solutions that inspire productive, meaningful work,
increase efficiency and cost savings, and generate
new business value. From Copilot, which enhances
productivity and creativity, to solutions like Azure
OpenAI Service and Azure AI Studio that enable
custom AI development, Microsoft offers cutting-edge
innovation backed by the stability of a long-standing
technology partner.
Get peace of mind with industry-leading
responsible and secure AI
As AI transforms the way business is done,
organizations must build safety and responsibility into
their AI journey from the very beginning on a trusted
and secure cloud. Microsoft has built its reputation on
security and is committed to the advancement of AI
driven by ethical principles.
Leverage a solution that is integrated into the tools
your team is already using
To gain the most value from AI solutions, they need
to integrate with your existing tools and processes.
Microsoft solutions are designed to work with the tools
your team already knows and works with. As a result,
there is a lower learning curve for teams, who will see
faster time to value and higher impact.
Microsoft empowers
organizations to unlock
productivity with Microsoft
Copilot, build AI capabilities
with an open AI platform
and partner ecosystem, and
co-innovate with trust with
industry-leading responsible
and secure AI.
Accelerate AI transformation with skill building 20
Microsoft Learn is your
AI skill-building partner
No matter where you are on your AI learning journey,
Microsoft Learn meets you there. Whether you’re just
beginning to understand what AI is and how it might
benefit your organization, you’re ready to use Copilot
and productivity-enhancing AI, or you’re looking to
build bespoke AI-powered solutions, we can help you
reach your goals.
By offering comprehensive curated resources, tools,
and guidance, Microsoft Learn supports you and your
team as you build the skills necessary to execute new
AI innovation projects and achieve your business
objectives. Here are some learning tools and resources
to explore.
AI learning hub
AI skill building begins with the AI learning hub, the
go-to resource for AI learning. In this hub, business
leaders, business users, and technology professionals
can find everything they need to gain AI skills in a
single place. They can explore training by role or
by technology, options to learn with the support of
the community or Training Services Partners, and
recommendations from our team on new topics to
deep dive into.
Verifiable AI skills with Microsoft Credentials
Take your team’s AI skills to the next level with
Microsoft Credentials, which include Microsoft
Certifications and Microsoft Applied Skills.
Certifications offer the flexibility to grow the skills
needed for critical roles, and Applied Skills offer the
agility to expand the skills required for key business
scenarios. Together, they bring verifiable skill sets
aligned to AI job roles and AI projects, ensuring you’re
building resilient and adaptable teams that are ready
to take on new opportunities.
Explore Microsoft Credentials for AI and find rolebased certifications like Azure AI Engineer or Azure
Data Scientist, or scenario-based Applied Skills,
including developing generative AI solutions, training
and deploying machine learning models, or creating
analytics solutions with Microsoft Fabric.
Explore the Microsoft
AI learning hub
learn.microsoft.com/AI
Explore Microsoft
Credentials for AI
aka.ms/CredentialsforAI
Start your AI learning
journey today with
Microsoft Learn
As AI transforms business, it is imperative that leaders prepare their organizations with the knowledge and
skills to adopt and adapt with AI. By taking a skills-first approach to AI, companies can ensure that their
business leaders have the knowledge to design effective AI strategies, their technical teams have the skills to
prepare their IT systems and build powerful AI solutions, and business users are equipped to put AI into action.
Wherever you are in your AI learning journey, Microsoft Learn can help your team gain the valuable skills
needed to accelerate your AI transformation.
Visit the AI learning hub today to start your AI journey.
Discover how Microsoft
Learn can accelerate
your AI journey
learn.microsoft.com/A
Discover more from Escape Business Solutions
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.