Charlotte, N.C. — Brit Morenus, a senior AI gamification program manager at Microsoft, transitioned from a contract executive assistant role to a leadership position in artificial intelligence over the course of 13 years with the company, demonstrating a pathway for professionals to enter the burgeoning AI field without traditional technical backgrounds.
Morenus began her tenure at Microsoft in 2013 as a contract executive assistant, a position she held for approximately eight months before moving to a role within the marketing team. Recognizing an opportunity to specialize, she pursued certifications in gamification – the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts – spending about a year acquiring the necessary skills. This involved learning game mechanics, motivational strategies, and how to integrate these elements into product training and sales processes.
“That was the position where I was able to prove my impact, and they decided to bring me on full-time,” Morenus explained. She subsequently spent six years in a gamification role, focused on training frontline and customer service support staff to enhance their sales capabilities.
The shift to AI presented itself as a natural progression, building upon her gamification expertise. Microsoft sought someone with a background in gamification to apply those principles to AI learning initiatives. Morenus found that upskilling in AI fundamentals was surprisingly efficient, requiring only about three months to gain proficiency through a Microsoft-specific certification in Azure AI Fundamentals.
“I didn’t know much about AI yet, aside from using it for personal reasons, but transitioning to an AI role was actually faster than pivoting to gamification,” she said. During her initial three months, she immersed herself in AI concepts, becoming confident enough to educate her team and wider organization on the technology.
Morenus credits her English degree, initially perceived as unrelated to her career path, as a crucial asset in her current role. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the nuances of language in the context of AI, particularly in crafting effective prompts and interpreting AI-generated outputs. “Sometimes AI makes wrong predictions, but it is using words to make that prediction. So I absolutely need to use my English degree in order to figure out keywords and how to prompt it to do the right thing,” she stated.
She described the tagging process used in AI, similar to tagging on social media platforms, where AI assigns labels to images with a confidence score, assessing relevance and accuracy. Morenus noted that a significant portion of this work relies on a deep understanding of language rather than purely technical expertise.
Morenus advises individuals considering a career transition into AI to embrace opportunities for upskilling and to overcome any fear of stepping outside their comfort zones. “Don’t let fear keep you from stepping outside your comfort zone. There’s so much ambiguity about changing roles or companies, but there’s no time like the present,” she said. She as well underscored the necessity of continuous learning, acknowledging the rapid pace of change within the AI landscape.
As of February 16, 2026, Microsoft has not commented on specific internal training programs or initiatives related to AI upskilling for non-technical employees.
