Complete AI-102 Study Plan for Azure AI Engineer Associate Certification

The AI-102 certification is designed for professionals who want to prove they can design and implement AI solutions on Microsoft Azure using Azure AI services, Azure AI Search, and Azure OpenAI capabilities. Microsoft positions the certification at the intermediate level, with a 12-month renewal cycle. As of December 23, 2025, the official skills outline emphasizes planning and managing AI solutions, implementing generative AI, computer vision, natural language processing, information extraction, knowledge mining, and conversational AI workloads. For candidates targeting this certification in 2026, there is one strategic point to note: Microsoft lists AI-102 for retirement on June 30, 2026. That means preparation should be focused, time-bound, and aligned with the current official blueprint rather than older community resources. Why AI-102 Matters AI is no longer a moonshot initiative. It is becoming part of mainstream enterprise architecture. Organizations want engineers who can move