I know you've heard of gamification, but have you ever heard of festification? That's what Microsoft will be doing in April and May, with the Microsoft AI Skills Fest. It's a little odd, but it also looks like it might be a heck of a lot of fun.

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I've written a lot about Microsoft over the years. I've praised its innovations. I've mocked its product naming. But this is a new one, even for me. Apparently, Microsoft (or some group of wacky marketing executives in the company) wants to set a new world record.

Going for a Guinness World Record

Microsoft is serious about this, too. It involved the actual Guinness World Records organization in its plans.

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As it turns out, you can get a world record for almost anything. Sure, you can get a world record for the most spoons balanced on a body, the fastest 100-meter sprint on all fours, being the world's tallest man, and having the most apples held in your own mouth and cut by a chainsaw. That last one was by Wang Lei in Dezhou China, back in 2020 (hey, we all needed something to keep us busy during lockdowns).

But Microsoft is trying for a world record in (and I swear I did not make this up) "the most users to complete an online multi-level artificial intelligence lesson in 24 hours."

Apparently, this has already been a thing. Last year, 46,045 online participants, working under the auspices of GUVI Geek Network Private Limited in collaboration with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, India, completed a 31-minute lesson, followed by 15 multiple-choice questions to ascertain learning quality. The event, part of the South Asian Women in Tech event series, earned the organization an official Guinness World Record.

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This isn't even the only online learning-related record or only record by a big corporation:

• Most users to take an online financial literacy lesson in 24 hours: awarded to Capital One with 1,812 participants in 2024.
• Largest computer programming lesson: achieved by Magma Talent Studio and Instituto Superior T