# AI For Beginners Community Support: Complete Guide to Getting Help and Contributing

> Get help and contribute to the AI For Beginners project. Explore community support on GitHub, Discord, and Azure Foundry, with resources for over 50 languages.

- Repository: [Microsoft/AI-For-Beginners](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners)
- Tags: getting-started
- Published: 2026-08-24

---

**The AI For Beginners project offers extensive community support through GitHub Issues, Discord, Gitter, and the Azure Foundry Developer Forum, plus automated translation workflows for 50+ languages.**

The **AI For Beginners** repository by Microsoft provides a robust, learner-first support ecosystem designed to help newcomers start their AI journey, troubleshoot problems, and contribute back to the curriculum. Whether you're stuck on a lesson, want to report a bug, or help translate content into your language, multiple channels connect you with maintainers and fellow learners.

## Where to Get Help: Official Community Channels

### GitHub Issues and Pull Requests

The **Issues** tab serves as the primary venue for bug reports, feature requests, and code contributions. The maintainers use **automated labeling** to categorize incoming tickets, ensuring faster triage. You can browse existing issues or open a new one at the [GitHub Issues page](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/issues).

The repository includes structured issue templates to guide your report:

- **Lesson Correction** template ([`.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/lesson_correction.yml`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/lesson_correction.yml)) — for reporting errors in curriculum content
- **Translation Feedback** template ([`.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/translation_feedback.yml`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/translation_feedback.yml)) — for multilingual contributors

### Discord (Microsoft Foundry)

For **real-time assistance**, join the [Microsoft Foundry Discord server](https://discord.gg/nTYy5BXMWG). This active chat community connects learners, instructors, and contributors for:
- Quick technical help during lessons
- Study group coordination
- Official announcements and events

The Discord link appears directly in [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) (lines 13–16), making it easy to find.

### Gitter (Legacy Channel)

The project maintains a [Gitter chat room](https://gitter.im/Microsoft/ai-for-beginners) for asynchronous community discussion. While Discord has become the primary real-time platform, Gitter remains available for those who prefer it.

### Azure Foundry Developer Forum

For **longer-form technical discussions** and architecture questions, the [Azure Foundry Developer Forum](https://aka.ms/foundry/forum) provides structured Q&A. This is particularly useful when building production applications using concepts from the curriculum.

## Contributing to the Community

### Translation and Localization

The **AI For Beginners** curriculum supports **50+ languages** through an automated translation pipeline with manual review workflows. New language contributions follow a documented process outlined in the README's translation table (lines 119–122).

Contributors can participate by:
- Reviewing machine-translated content for accuracy
- Proposing entirely new language versions

### Pull Requests and Code Contributions

The repository prominently displays **"PRs Welcome"** and **"Help Wanted"** badges to encourage first-time contributors. The [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) includes a dedicated section (lines 54–57) outlining contribution guidelines.

### Quiz Application Development

The community-built **Quiz App** (`etc/quiz-app/`) is an interactive Vue.js application for testing knowledge. You can:
- Run it locally for personal study
- Deploy it to **Azure Static Web Apps** for broader access

See the [Quiz-App README](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/tree/main/etc/quiz-app) for setup instructions.

## Programmatically Accessing Community Resources

You can extract community URLs directly from the repository's documentation using Python. This is useful for building custom onboarding tools or automated help systems:

```python
import requests
import re

# Load the raw README from GitHub

url = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/main/README.md"
readme = requests.get(url).text

# Simple regexes for the most common links

patterns = {
    "Discord": r"https://discord\.gg/[^\s)]+",
    "Gitter": r"https://gitter\.im/[^\s)]+",
    "Issues": r"https://github\.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/issues",
    "Forum": r"https://aka\.ms/foundry/forum",
}

for name, pat in patterns.items():
    match = re.search(pat, readme)
    if match:
        print(f"{name} support: {match.group(0)}")

```

Running this script outputs the active support channels, allowing integration into tutorials or internal documentation.

## Key Files for Community Support

| File | Purpose | Location |
|------|---------|----------|
| [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) | Central hub listing all channels, badges, and guidelines | Root directory |
| [`etc/SUPPORT.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/etc/SUPPORT.md) | Consolidated support contact information | `etc/` directory |
| [`.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/lesson_correction.yml`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/lesson_correction.yml) | Structured template for lesson bug reports | `.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/` |
| [`.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/translation_feedback.yml`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/translation_feedback.yml) | Template for translation contributions | `.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/` |
| [`etc/quiz-app/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/etc/quiz-app/README.md) | Instructions for running the community quiz tool | `etc/quiz-app/` |

These files demonstrate how the **AI For Beginners** project operationalizes community support—from discovery in [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) to detailed guidance in [`etc/SUPPORT.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/etc/SUPPORT.md) and structured contribution workflows in the `.github/` directory.

## Summary

- **Multiple support channels** serve different needs: GitHub Issues for bugs, Discord for real-time chat, Gitter for legacy discussions, and the Azure Foundry Forum for architectural questions.
- **Contributions are explicitly welcomed** through "PRs Welcome" badges, issue templates, and documented workflows for code and translations.
- **50+ language translations** are supported through automated pipelines with manual review, lowering barriers for global learners.
- **Community tools** like the Quiz App provide interactive learning experiences built and maintained by contributors.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do I report a mistake in a lesson?

Use the **Lesson Correction** issue template at [`.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/lesson_correction.yml`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/lesson_correction.yml). This structured form ensures you provide the lesson number, specific error, and suggested correction, allowing maintainers to review and fix content efficiently.

### Is the AI For Beginners Discord active?

Yes. The [Microsoft Foundry Discord](https://discord.gg/nTYy5BXMWG) is actively moderated and includes channels for lesson help, general discussion, and announcements. The invite link is maintained in [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) and [`etc/SUPPORT.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/etc/SUPPORT.md).

### Can I contribute a translation for a new language?

Absolutely. The project accepts translation contributions through a documented workflow. New languages begin with automated translation followed by community review. Check the translation table in [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) (lines 119–122) to see current coverage and contact information for translation coordination.

### What is the quiz app and how do I use it?

The **Quiz App** is a community-built Vue.js application in `etc/quiz-app/` that provides interactive knowledge checks for each lesson. You can run it locally with Node.js or deploy it to Azure Static Web Apps—see the [Quiz-App README](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/tree/main/etc/quiz-app) for detailed instructions.