General Assembly6 postings
Most common title: AI Enabled Product Manager Subject Matter Expert
View jobs ↗ at General Assembly matching Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901)
Validates foundational knowledge of AI concepts, responsible AI and building generative AI, vision and speech solutions.
Summary
Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901) is Microsoft's entry-level AI certification, for people who want a first step into AI and Microsoft Foundry. It covers responsible AI, model and workload basics, and building small generative AI apps, agents, speech and vision solutions.
Good fit if
- You want a low-cost introduction to AI and Microsoft Foundry
- You are a developer, IT professional or student heading to AI-103
- You can read basic Python and want to build AI apps
Look elsewhere if
- You already build AI apps at work: AI-103
- You want a broad cloud primer first: AZ-900
- Your organization uses AWS: AWS AI Practitioner
Salary & jobs
58 US job postings ask for Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals, with Pre Sales Engineer as the most common job title. The median pay is $143k a year; most fall between $114k and $165k.
Top-paying job titles
Most common job titles
| Job title |
|---|
| Job title | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pre Sales Engineer | - | 2 |
| ServiceNow Itsm AI Solutions Consultant | - | 2 |
| Solutions Consultant Microsoft Sales | - | 2 |
| AI Change Enablement Consultant | - | 1 |
| AI Enabled Product Manager Subject Matter Expert | - | 1 |
| AI Engineer I | - | 1 |
| AI Ml Process Engineer | - | 1 |
| AI Solutions | - | 1 |
| Analyst AI Business Transformation | - | 1 |
| Artificial Intelligence Engineer | - | 1 |
| Azure Cloud Engineer | - | 1 |
| Build Engineer Forward Deployed Engineering 5 Openings | - | 1 |
| Business Analyst | - | 1 |
| Business Process Analyst | - | 1 |
| Business Systems Analyst I | - | 1 |
Top employers
General Assembly
Heartland Business Systems3 postings
Most common title: Solutions Consultant Microsoft Sales
View jobs ↗ at Heartland Business Systems matching Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
Microsoft3 postings
Most common title: Customer Experience Engineer
View jobs ↗ at Microsoft matching Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
AGE Solutions2 postings
Most common title: AI Ml Process Engineer
View jobs ↗ at AGE Solutions matching Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
Peraton2 postings
Most common title: ServiceNow Itsm AI Solutions Consultant
View jobs ↗ at Peraton matching Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
PlainID2 postings
Most common title: Pre Sales Engineer
View jobs ↗ at PlainID matching Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
4 Staffing Corp1 postings
Most common title: IT Security Managing Consultant
View jobs ↗ at 4 Staffing Corp matching Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
A-TEK Inc.1 postings
Most common title: Federal AI Solutions Engineer
View jobs ↗ at A-TEK Inc. matching Microsoft Certified: Azure AI FundamentalsPrerequisites
Cost
What holders say
A first step for managers and career changers
Holders recommend it for managers and non-engineers who want shared vocabulary with technical teams, and for career changers as a step before an applied AI certification or Python projects.
Most valuable for what you learn
People who took it say it helped them understand how AI and machine learning work and talk credibly with technical colleagues. Some had an employer bonus for passing.
Not a hiring credential on its own
Job seekers say a fundamentals AI badge alone rarely leads to interviews. Some rate AZ-900 or SC-900 as more useful at the same level.
Renewal
Azure AI Fundamentals does not expire.
- Validity
- No expiry
- Renewal requirement
- None
- Renewal fee
- None
Alternatives
AZ-900$99 required · Entry
A broader introduction to Azure if you want cloud basics first.
AWS Certified AI Practitioner$100 required · Entry
The foundational AI certification if your organization runs on AWS.
Google Cloud Generative AI Leader$99 required · Entry
A less technical option aimed at business and leadership roles on Google Cloud.
FAQ
What is the difference between AI-900 and AI-901?
AI-900 retired on June 30, 2026. AI-901 replaced it and leads to the same Azure AI Fundamentals certification, with more weight on building apps and agents in Microsoft Foundry.
Do I need to know how to code for AI-901?
Basic Python helps a lot. Microsoft recommends it, and more than half the exam covers building small apps and agents with the Foundry SDK and portal.
Does Azure AI Fundamentals expire?
No. Microsoft Fundamentals certifications do not expire.
I passed AI-900. Do I need to take AI-901?
No. AI-900 and AI-901 lead to the same Azure AI Fundamentals certification, which does not expire.
Last updated October 2026