AI-901: Azure AI Fundamentals Certification Training
The Azure AI certification training that starts every AI journey on Microsoft’s platform. AI-901 (the successor to AI-900) is the current entry point into Microsoft’s AI certification track — covering AI concepts, responsible AI, and hands-on implementation with Microsoft Foundry. Built for corporate teams, IT professionals, career-starters, and students alike.
Find Your Path
Considering AI-901? Speak with our team first.
Fill in the form below and we will arrange a personal consultation to walk you through what AI-901 covers, who it is designed for, and whether it aligns with your goals — at no cost, and with no obligation to enroll.
Prerequisites
AI-901 is designed to be accessible — but a few things help:
- Basic familiarity with cloud concepts (what cloud storage and cloud compute are) is helpful, though not required to start
- Comfort reading — not necessarily writing — basic Python syntax
- An interest in how AI applies to real business problems, if you’re coming from a non-technical background
- For IT professionals: familiarity with Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) concepts provides useful context, though it isn’t a formal prerequisite
Skills You’ll Gain
AI-901 Syllabus — Detailed Topics
Click any topic to expand.
Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals
The syllabus begins with foundational AI concepts. Candidates should understand real-world AI applications across:
- Artificial Intelligence basics
- Machine Learning concepts
- Deep Learning fundamentals
- Neural Networks
- Predictive analytics
- Conversational AI
- Computer Vision
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Responsible AI Principles
One of the most critical topics in the updated syllabus — Microsoft strongly emphasizes ethical AI development and responsible deployment:
- Fairness
- Privacy and security
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Reliability
- Inclusiveness
Azure AI Services
Understanding when and where to use each service in real business scenarios:
- Azure AI Vision
- Azure Speech Services
- Azure Language Services
- Azure AI Translator
- Azure AI Search
- Azure Document Intelligence
Generative AI Fundamentals
One of the most important additions to the certification — central to modern Azure AI solutions:
- Large Language Models (LLMs)
- Prompt engineering
- AI-generated content
- Chatbots and copilots
- AI hallucinations
- Model limitations
- Responsible generative AI
Microsoft Foundry
A major addition in the updated syllabus — scenario-based questions on Foundry implementation appear on the exam:
- What Microsoft Foundry is
- AI model deployment basics
- AI application development workflows
- AI integration processes
- AI model management
AI Agents and Automation
Organizations increasingly use AI agents for intelligent automation and business process optimization:
- AI agent fundamentals
- Agent-based workflows
- Autonomous AI systems
- AI automation basics
- AI orchestration concepts
Python and Technical Fundamentals
AI-901 remains beginner-friendly, but Microsoft now expects basic familiarity with Python and Azure resources. Advanced coding is not required:
- Basic Python syntax
- API concepts
- AI model interaction basics
- Cloud resource fundamentals
Skills Measured
Audience Profile
As a candidate for this Microsoft Certification, you’re at the beginning of your career in AI solution development. You should have conceptual knowledge of AI solutions in Azure and the foundational technical skills to work with them — plus knowledge of Python coding syntax and programming techniques, and familiarity with Azure resources.
Identify AI concepts and capabilities40–45%
Describe principles of responsible AI
- Considerations for fairness in an AI solution
- Considerations for reliability and safety in an AI solution
- Considerations for privacy and security in an AI solution
- Considerations for inclusiveness in an AI solution
- Considerations for transparency in an AI solution
- Considerations for accountability in an AI solution
Identify AI model components and configurations
- How generative AI models work
- Identifying an appropriate AI model, based on capabilities
- Appropriate model deployment options and configuration parameters
Identify AI workloads
- Scenarios for common AI workloads — generative & agentic AI, text analysis, speech, computer vision, information extraction
- Text analysis techniques — keyword extraction, entity detection, sentiment analysis, summarization
- Speech recognition and speech synthesis features & capabilities
- Computer vision and image-generation model features & capabilities
- Techniques to extract information from text, images, audio, and video
Implement AI solutions using Microsoft Foundry55–60%
Implement generative AI apps and agents by using Foundry
- Creating effective system and user prompts for generative AI models
- Deploying a model and interacting with it in the Foundry portal
- Creating a lightweight chat client application using the Foundry SDK
- Creating and testing a single-agent solution in the Foundry portal
- Creating a lightweight client application for an agent
Implement AI solutions for text and speech by using Foundry
- Building a lightweight application that includes text analysis
- Responding to spoken prompts using a deployed multimodal model
- Building a lightweight application using Azure Speech in Foundry Tools
Implement AI solutions with computer vision & image-generation by using Foundry
- Interpreting visual input in prompts using a deployed multimodal model
- Creating new visual outputs using generative models
- Building a lightweight application that includes vision capabilities
Implement AI solutions for information extraction by using Foundry
- Extracting information from documents and forms using Azure Content Understanding
- Extracting information from images using Content Understanding
- Extracting information from audio and video using Content Understanding
- Building a lightweight application with information extraction capabilities
Why This Certification Matters
AI-901 replaced AI-900 as Microsoft’s foundational AI credential, and it’s a meaningfully more practical exam than its predecessor — it now expects basic Python familiarity and covers real implementation with Microsoft Foundry, not just definitions. That makes it a credible starting point, not a watered-down one.
For working professionals, it’s the credential that lets you have informed conversations about AI in any role — technical or not — and sets up a clean progression into AI-200 (AI Cloud Developer) or AI-103 (AI App & Agent Developer) once you’re ready to build, not just understand.
For students, it’s a chance to get ahead of your own curriculum — many current B.Tech AI/ML programs are already moving toward generative AI, cloud, and intelligent applications. A recognized certification alongside your degree signals you didn’t wait for the syllabus to catch up.
Flexible by design. Delivery format and pacing adjust to the audience — a compact cohort format for corporate teams, and an extended, exam-prep-paced format for students and individual learners. Talk to us about what fits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need coding experience for AI-901?
No prior coding background is required to start. Basic familiarity with Python syntax is expected by the exam and is covered as part of the training.
Is AI-901 the same as the older AI-900?
AI-901 is the replacement for AI-900, which fully retired on June 30, 2026. Both lead to the same “Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals” credential, but AI-901 covers Microsoft Foundry and practical implementation in more depth.
Can I take this before I graduate?
Yes — there are no formal prerequisites. Many students take AI-901 alongside their degree as an early, industry-recognized credential.
What should I do after AI-901?
Most learners progress to AI-200 (Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate) or AI-103 (Azure AI App & Agent Developer), depending on whether their focus is applied AI engineering or app/agent development.
Enroll in Certification Training
The full paid training program — format and duration vary by audience. This is separate from the complimentary consultation above.