Azure AI-102 vs. AI-900 (2025 Guide): Which Microsoft Azure AI Certification Should You Choose?

Artificial intelligence continues to reshape cloud careers, and Microsoft Azure is right at the center of this transformation. Whether you're building AI solutions, exploring generative AI, or entering the cloud/AI space for the first time, Azure’s certification path is one of the most recognized ways to validate your skills.

Two of the most popular certifications are:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI-102)

• Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900)

Both are Azure AI certifications—but they serve different audiences, different skill levels, and very different career outcomes. This 2025 guide breaks down everything you need to know, including:

• What each certification covers

• Updated exam details for 2025

• Skill differences

• Who should choose which

• Career paths & prerequisites

• Study resources & preparation plan

Let’s dive in.

Introduction to Azure AI Certifications

Azure AI certifications are designed to validate your ability to work with Microsoft’s growing ecosystem of AI tools—including Azure AI Search, Azure OpenAI, cognitive services, knowledge mining, and generative AI workloads.

The two certifications covered in this guide occupy two distinct levels:

• AI-900 (Fundamentals) — a foundational exam for beginners in AI and cloud computing

• AI-102 (Associate) — a hands-on, implementation-focused certification for AI Engineers

Understanding their differences is essential if you want to choose the right learning path and accelerate your career in AI with Azure.

Quick Comparison: Azure AI-102 vs. AI-900

Azure AI-102: Azure AI Engineer Associate (2025 Overview)

Azure AI-102 is a role-based, intermediate-level certification designed for professionals who build and deploy AI solutions using Azure.

What This Certification Focuses On

AI-102 validates end-to-end competency in:

✔ Designing AI solutions
✔ Integrating Azure AI services
✔ Building generative AI apps
✔ Managing AI deployments
✔ Optimizing model performance
✔ Working with cognitive services
✔ Implementing responsible AI

This certification is not theoretical—it tests your hands-on engineering ability across Azure’s AI ecosystem.

Key Azure Services Covered

• Azure AI Search

• Azure OpenAI (GPT, embeddings, fine-tuning)

• Azure AI Vision, Speech, Language services

• Azure Machine Learning

• Cognitive Search & knowledge mining

• Generative AI and agent-based workflows

Skills Validated

You must demonstrate skills across the entire AI solution lifecycle, including:

• Gathering & interpreting requirements

• Designing architecture for AI apps

• Implementing REST APIs & SDK-based integrations

• Building secure & compliant AI solutions

• Monitoring and evaluating model performance

• Troubleshooting production workloads

• Deploying AI apps using automation tools

AI-102 is highly practical and expects familiarity with real-world AI deployment challenges.

Recommended Prerequisites

While not mandatory, candidates should have:

• Experience in Python or C# development

• Comfort working with REST APIs & SDKs

• Understanding of data engineering basics

• Knowledge of Azure data storage services

• Awareness of responsible AI guidelines

Certification Updates for 2025

Microsoft updated the exam on April 30, 2025, adding:

• New generative AI and Azure OpenAI workloads

• Updated agentic workflows & copilots

• Reinforced focus on responsible AI & governance

• Expanded NLP & vision solution design topics

Who Should Take AI-102?

This is ideal for:

• AI Engineers

• Machine Learning Engineers

• Cloud Developers integrating AI

• Solution Architects implementing AI features

• Developers working with OpenAI/GPT apps

• Anyone building production-grade AI solutions

If you want to specialize in practical, hands-on AI engineering, this is your certification.

Azure AI-900: Azure AI Fundamentals (2025 Overview)

Azure AI-900 is the entry-level certification for anyone seeking a high-level understanding of AI and machine learning concepts.

This is NOT an engineering certification—it's meant to ensure you understand:

• What AI is

• Core machine learning principles

• Basic model types

• AI workloads on Azure

• Computer vision, NLP, and generative AI fundamentals

Who Is AI-900 For?

AI-900 is designed for:

• Beginners exploring AI for the first time

• Business professionals working around AI teams

• Students

• Career switchers

• Project managers wanting AI awareness

• Anyone wanting foundational cloud AI knowledge

Prerequisites

No coding, engineering, or data science experience is required.

A basic understanding of:

• Cloud concepts

• Client-server concepts

• Data fundamentals

…is helpful but not required.

Skills Validated

AI-900 focuses primarily on conceptual knowledge:

• Describing AI workloads

• Understanding core ML concepts

• Differentiating types of AI models

• Understanding responsible AI basics

• Identifying Azure services used for AI

• Explaining generative AI features

What's New in 2025?

Updated on May 2, 2025, the exam now includes:

• Expanded generative AI fundamentals

• Intro to Azure OpenAI

• Updated responsible AI modules

• Coverage of agentic workflows at an introductory level

Key Differences Between AI-102 and AI-900

1. Skill Level

• AI-102: Intermediate, hands-on

• AI-900: Beginner, conceptual

2. Depth of Content

• AI-102: In-depth engineering, architecture, and implementation

• AI-900: High-level concepts & foundational understanding

3. Target Audience

• AI-102: Developers, cloud engineers, AI practitioners

• AI-900: Everyone—students, managers, non-technical professionals

4. Career Impact

• AI-102: Qualifies you for roles like AI Engineer

• AI-900: Qualifies you to move into more advanced Azure certifications

5. Certification Path

• AI-900 is optional before AI-102

• AI-102 is role-focused and requires real experience

Detailed Comparison (2025)

Which Certification Should You Choose?

Choose AI-900 if…

• You’re new to AI or cloud

• You want beginner-friendly content

• You lack coding experience

• You want to build foundational knowledge

• You’re not yet ready for hands-on engineering tasks

• You want to explore whether AI engineering is for you

AI-900 is the most accessible starting point.

Choose AI-102 if…

• You already know Python/C#

• You’ve used REST APIs or SDKs

• You work with Azure AI services

• You want to build production AI apps

• You want to specialize in generative AI, NLP, or computer vision

• You want a role-based certification with real career impact

AI-102 is for professionals ready to design, build, and deploy real AI solutions.

Study Plan & Resources (2025)

For AI-102: Azure AI Engineer Associate

Recommended Learning Path

• Microsoft Learn AI-102 modules

• Azure OpenAI & generative AI courses

• Cognitive Services deep dives

• Azure Machine Learning tutorials

• Architecture scenario practice

Practice Resources

• Microsoft Official Practice Assessment

• Azure AI Playground / Sandbox

• Exam sandbox environments

• FlashGenius AI-102 practice tests & flashcards

• Smart Review to identify weak AI concepts

• Domain Practice for computer vision, NLP, knowledge mining, generative AI

For AI-900: Azure AI Fundamentals

Recommended Learning Path

• Microsoft Learn AI-900 modules

• Fundamentals of machine learning

• Intro to Azure AI services

• Responsible AI basics

Practice Resources

• Microsoft Official Practice Assessment

• Exam sandbox

• FlashGenius AI-900 practice questions & explanations

• Flashcards for key AI terms

• Common Mistakes feature to avoid beginner errors

FAQs

Is AI-900 a prerequisite for AI-102?
No. You can take AI-102 directly, but AI-900 helps beginners.

Do I need to know programming for AI-102?
Yes—Python or C# experience is strongly recommended.

Is AI-900 suitable for non-technical learners?
Absolutely. It’s designed as an entry-level certification.

Does AI-102 need annual renewal?
Yes, via a free online assessment.

Does AI-900 expire?
Fundamental exams typically do not expire.

Conclusion

Both Azure AI certifications play an important role in your AI career:

• AI-900 is designed for beginners wanting a clear, jargon-free entry into AI concepts.

• AI-102 is the go-to certification for professionals who want to build, deploy, and manage AI applications on Azure—especially generative AI and cognitive workloads.

If you're exploring AI, start with AI-900.
If you're building AI solutions, go straight to AI-102.

Either way, practice is the difference-maker—and that's where FlashGenius gives you the competitive edge with:

• AI-guided Learning Paths

• Domain & Mixed Practice

• Exam Simulations

• Flashcards

• Smart Review

• Common Mistakes analysis

• Multilingual support

• Productivity tools like Pomodoro Timer

Get exam-ready with confidence using FlashGenius.