The Microsoft AI Tour, a global event series aimed at enhancing AI skills for decision-makers and developers, kicked off with Microsoft Build: AI Day London in October 2023. The tour has been held in various locations around the world, including San Francisco and New York in January 2024. Many attendees at these events had the opportunity to learn about the latest AI technologies, interact with Microsoft leaders and technical experts, and enjoy a unique opportunity to further utilize Microsoft AI technology in the future.
In this blog, we will look back at the events held in Sydney, Bengaluru, and Tokyo, and introduce the voices of Microsoft MVPs, Microsoft Regional Directors, and Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors who participated in the events and spent a day immersed in AI as part of the global event tour.
February 7, 2024 – Microsoft AI Tour Sydney
At the Microsoft AI Tour Sydney, decision-makers and developers eager to learn about various Microsoft AI and Copilot technologies visited the venue. Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President of the Microsoft Cloud + AI Group, participated as an executive speaker and gave a keynote speech on AI transformation using Microsoft Cloud in Australian organizations. He also interacted with attendees, providing an opportunity to further enhance the momentum for AI utilization among Australian users.
MVPs and RDs supported the event mainly as Technical Theater speakers, Workshop proctors, and booth speakers. Additionally, the day before the event, the technical community BizApps Sydney User Group hosted a community event in collaboration with Microsoft Reactor Sydney, enhancing the experience of participating in the Sydney event and inspiring attendees with shared ideas from a user perspective.
Michael John Peña, Microsoft Azure MVP, Theater session speaker
“Attending the Microsoft AI Tour in Sydney was an enlightening journey. It offered a distinctive platform to interact with a wide array of individuals, including Microsoft MVPs, FTEs, customers, and other tech enthusiasts. My theatre session was a testament to the curiosity and engagement surrounding Copilot experiences. As an MVP, my unique perspective added depth to the discourse on these technologies. The event underscored the message that we are entering a new era where AI is not just a concept, but a tangible reality within our grasp. The fact that such a high-caliber event was free of charge is still astonishing to me. I eagerly anticipate a similar event next year, hopefully spanning multiple days.”
Lisa Crosbie, Business Applications MVP, Theater session speaker
“This was an absolutely incredible event, networking with customers, Microsoft and the community to learn and share our knowledge with AI, and the whole event had an incredible buzz. I expanded my knowledge into new technical areas and have opened up new learning paths for myself. The opportunity to present a technical session meant that I could help more people get over that barrier of how to get started with Azure OpenAI and how to work out their use cases. I had several 1:1 conversation with attendees after the session to discuss and help them further.”
Olena Grischenko, Business Applications MVP
"Recently, I attended the Microsoft AI Tour event in Sydney, which marked the first significant in-person gathering since COVID-19. Throughout the event, I engaged in multiple keynotes, presentations, and hands-on labs, focusing particularly on Business Applications relevant to government organizations, where most of my clients operate. Immediately following the event, we applied the insights gained to a tender we were participating in, offering our client the latest platform capabilities powered by AI. Also, I shared these updates with my clients, recognizing the widespread interest in AI advancements. Utilizing the capabilities announced at the event will benefit all my clients by enhancing productivity, improving performance, and ultimately leading to cost savings for their businesses.
Thank you very much for organising the event!"
February 8, 2024 – Microsoft AI Tour Bengaluru
The Microsoft AI Tour Bengaluru, held in partnership with NVIDIA, was attended by Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft from Redmond, USA. In his keynote speech, he emphasized the importance of the developer community in solving challenges in India and building products and solutions that can be deployed globally. The presence of Satya, representing Microsoft, heightened the enthusiasm of the participants, uniting them in their pursuit of developing cutting-edge AI solutions.
At this event, Microsoft MVPs such as Krunal Trivedi, Shrushti Shah, and Smita Nachan shared their learning and insights in various roles to help participants understand AI better.
Krunal Trivedi, Microsoft Azure MVP, Workshop proctor and Booth presenter at the Machine Learning Booth
“Attending the Microsoft Global AI Tour in Bangalore was an incredible experience. As a Microsoft MVP for Azure, being part of such a prestigious event was both an honor and a privilege.
One of the highlights of the event was Satya Nadella's keynote address on the Future of AI. His insights into groundbreaking technologies like co-pilot left attendees in awe, sparking a palpable sense of excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead in the world of artificial intelligence.
The atmosphere was electric, with attendees from diverse backgrounds and industries coming together to explore the latest advancements in AI. From engaging workshops to insightful discussions, the event provided a platform for learning, networking, and collaboration.
Overall, the Microsoft Global AI Tour was a truly enriching experience. It not only showcased the cutting-edge innovations driving AI forward but also fostered a sense of community among technology enthusiasts. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of it and look forward to continuing to contribute to the advancement of AI technologies in the future.”
Shrushti Shah, M365 MVP, Booth presenter at the Copilot Studio Booth
“I was selected as an expert for the Microsoft AI Tour Bengaluru event where I got the opportunity to manage Copilot Studio booth and the experience was truly unbelievable. I interacted with more than 50 attendees at the booth, answered their queries, showcased the features of Copilot Studio. Attendees were very curious to know about how copilot can be built using Copilot Studio and how this can fit their organization’s needs in different verticals. I truly loved the enthusiasm of all the attendees who wanted to get their hands wet on building Copilot for various different use cases.”
February 20, 2024 – Microsoft AI Tour Tokyo
The Microsoft AI Tour Tokyo was the first event in this series to hold sessions in the local language. It attracted an unprecedented number of visitors for a Microsoft event in Japan in recent years. Attendees enjoyed learning about Microsoft AI and Copilot from morning to night, seizing opportunities to improve their AI skills and catch up on information. Direct interactions, such as the Connection Hub and individual discussions, also provided opportunities for attendees to learn about AI outlook with Takeshi Numoto, Executive Vice President & CMO, who participated in the event for the keynote speech.
24 Japanese MVPs and RDs supported the event as Workshop proctors and Community Lounge Booth presenters. Additionally, at the Developer Meet & Greet, a networking event unique to Japan for participants and AI experts, attendees showcased their AI knowledge at the AI unconference.
Kazuyuki Miyake, Microsoft Regional Director and Microsoft Azure MVP, Workshop proctor and AI Unconference speaker
“I joined this event as a proctor for the RAG workshop. It was an event where the global tour was conducted in Japan as is, so there were many Japanese participants who were somewhat confused. However, I believe that the technical support in our native language by MVP/RDs played a very important role. Overall, I strongly agree with the concept and content of the Microsoft AI Tour, and it is very meaningful that a world-class AI tech event was held in Japan.
In Japan, the use of generative AI is more active than ever before. However, on the other hand, there are aspects where the effectiveness of utilizing AI with Azure has not been fully communicated (e.g., it is not well known that Azure OpenAI Service can be used to securely architect AI applications). As an MVP/RD, we have expertise in various areas, so we will enhance our efforts to explain the effectiveness of generative AI not only from the perspective of AI itself but also from the perspective of related areas such as application development and data platforms.
Yoshitaka Seo, AI MVP, Workshop proctor
“By participating in this event, I was once again reminded that generative AI is one of the most important technologies in the current IT landscape. The event was very informative in understanding the direction of Copilot construction, as two tools, Azure AI Studio and Microsoft Copilot Studio, were introduced side by side.
While generative AI has already become commoditized, knowing the technical background can help us use and build it more effectively. We will continue to share information that is more convenient to use, not only by introducing tools and services but also by touching on their background.”
Kenta Yamada, Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador, Attendee
“By participating in the Microsoft AI Tour, I had the opportunity to learn about and try services equipped with Copilot, such as Microsoft Copilot Studio.
I also participated in a data analysis workshop using Microsoft Fabric, which provided not only technical input but also learning about the management of the workshop itself. I will utilize this experience in future events for students as a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador.”
The Microsoft AI Tour assists more individuals in enhancing their AI skills by holding events around the world, including Paris, Berlin, São Paulo in March, and Seoul in April. Please visit the following page for details on each event.
https://envision.microsoft.com/en-US/home
Moreover, the Microsoft AI Tour Cloud Skills Challenge is being held for those who have participated in the Microsoft AI Tour at various locations, as well as for everyone. Please check out the Cloud Skills Challenge, which offers a chance to polish your AI skills by completing four challenges, and to receive a discount voucher for the Microsoft Certification exam to verify your learning.
In addition, for those who wish to learn about AI beyond the Microsoft AI Tour, please consider participating in the Global AI Bootcamp, a global community event series led by the Global AI Community, which organizes AI-focused events in various local tech communities. Enjoy sessions and discussions led by local experts.