Microsoft · Professional Certification · Associate
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI-102)
Crydd Score 56
Demand High
Career Value High
Recognition High
AI-102 at a glance
- Provider
- Microsoft
- Credential type
- Professional Certification
- Exam required
- Yes
- Category
- AI & Machine Learning
- Level
- Associate
- Cost
- About $165
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Time to earn
- 2–4 months
- Validity
- 1 year (free annual renewal)
- Format
- 40–60 questions, 100 minutes
- Prerequisites
- None required; Microsoft recommends experience with Python or C#
What is AI-102?
Microsoft's associate AI credential: building applications on Azure's AI services, including the generative-AI stack, rather than training models from scratch.
Skills it covers
- Azure AI services
- Computer vision
- Natural language processing
- Generative AI
- Responsible AI
Is AI-102 worth it? The Crydd Verdict
CS 56Choose it if
You are a developer moving into AI engineering — the fastest-growing way into the field, and one that does not require a research background.
Consider alternatives if
You want to build and train models yourself; this is an applied services exam, not a machine-learning one.
Why we say so
AI engineering is the most acute hiring shortage in software right now, and this is the clearest credentialed path into it for existing developers.
Market demand
Organisations are adopting generative AI far faster than they can hire people who can integrate it responsibly. Demand for applied AI engineers currently outstrips supply by a wide margin.
Where AI-102 takes you
- AI Engineer
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Software Engineer
Career roadmaps show where this certification fits in each path. See the roadmaps.
Related certifications
Curated connections from the catalog — each labelled with how it relates to AI-102, so you know why it’s here.
