AIF-C01 vs AI-901
Take AIF-C01 if your organisation runs on AWS, AI-901 if it runs on Azure. Both are foundational, both are conceptual rather than hands-on, and neither will impress an engineer. The deciding factor is which cloud you actually work near — not which exam is better, because they are close to equivalent in difficulty and value.
Side by side
| AIF-C01 | AI-901 | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | AWS | Microsoft |
| Level | Foundational | Fundamentals |
| Domains | 5 | 2 |
| Heaviest domain | Applications of Foundation Models (28%) | Implement AI solutions with Microsoft Foundry (55–60%) |
| Coding required | No | No |
| Prerequisite | None | None |
Where they differ in substance
AIF-C01 spreads wider. Its five domains cover AI and ML fundamentals, generative AI fundamentals, applications of foundation models, responsible AI, and security, compliance and governance. Roughly a quarter of the exam is governance and responsible AI, which is more than most people expect from a foundational certificate.
AI-901 concentrates. Two skill areas only: identifying AI concepts and capabilities, then implementing AI solutions with Microsoft Foundry. Well over half the weight sits in the second, so the exam leans more towards knowing which Azure capability fits a scenario.
In practice this means AIF-C01 tests broader conceptual ground, while AI-901 tests conceptual ground plus a layer of Microsoft-specific service recognition. Neither difference is large enough to choose on.
The responsible AI question
If you care about the governance and responsible AI content specifically — because it is relevant to your role rather than an exam topic — AIF-C01 carries more of it, at 28% across responsible AI and security, compliance and governance combined.
AI-901 covers responsible AI principles but with less weight. If governance is your actual interest, though, neither exam is the right destination; the ISACA certificates are, and they assume governance experience.
Who should take either
Both exams are aimed at the same audience: people working near AI without building it. Product managers, analysts, consultants, sales engineers, and developers starting to move into the area.
They give you a shared vocabulary with technical teams and a structured view of a field most people have picked up unevenly. That is genuinely worth something.
Who should take neither
If you already build AI systems, both are a certificate for knowledge you hold. Skip to the associate level — MLA-C02 on AWS or AI-103 on Azure — and spend the exam fee on something else.
Holding a foundational certificate alongside an associate one in the same vendor adds nothing to a CV, and can read as padding.
If you genuinely have no vendor preference
Rare, but it happens — students, career changers, consultancies that work across both.
In that case, look at where you want to end up rather than at these two exams. The associate level is where the paths diverge meaningfully: MLA-C02 points towards classical ML engineering and operations, while AI-103 points towards generative AI and agents. Pick the foundational exam that sits under the associate exam you actually want.
Effort
- AIF-C01 — three to four weeks
- AI-901 — two to three weeks
AI-901 is the shorter of the two, mostly because it covers less ground.
What to do next
Take the free 20-question practice test in whichever section matches your cloud: AIF-C01 or AI-901. If you score sixteen or more cold, book the exam — you are closer than you think and more study would be wasted time.
For the full sequence on each side, see the Azure AI path and the AWS AI path.