Introduction
Microsoft has several exams and certifications which allow them to test your abilities in various apps and technologies.
Microsoft has announced that it is going to release a new version of the Azure AI Engineer certification. In this blog, we will have a look at the new AI-103 Azure AI App and Agent Developer Associate certification, including its target audience and what skills you will need.
What is the Microsoft AI-103 exam?
The AI-103 exam, also known as the “AI App and Agent Developer Associate” exam, is an associate-level exam which validates your knowledge about creating applications which use Microsoft Foundry.
The beta exam should be available in April 2026, and it should become generally available in June 2026.
Who should take the AI-103 exam?
This exam is for software developers who build (or want to build), manage and deploy AI solutions which employ Microsoft Foundry.
It is also useful for professionals building AI‑infused applications and developers creating agents and generative AI solutions on Azure.
What do you need to know for the AI-103 exam?
This certification focuses on:
- Planning and managing AI resources in Microsoft Foundry
- Building generative AI applications
- Designing multi‑step reasoning workflows
- Developing production‑ready AI agents
- Implementing multi‑agent orchestration
What are the differences between the AI-102 and AI-103 exams?
The retirement of the AI-102 exam signals a broader repositioning of AI roles. Rather than focusing solely on individual AI services, Microsoft is now emphasizing end‑to‑end AI application and agent development, including planning, orchestration, and production deployment.
While AI‑102 focused heavily on:
- Azure Cognitive Services
- Model consumption
- Service configuration and integration
AI‑103 shifts the emphasis to:
- Agentic design
- Reasoning and orchestration
- Generative AI workflows
- End‑to‑end application development
This makes AI‑103 far more aligned with:
- Copilot‑style architectures
- Autonomous and semi‑autonomous AI systems
- Real‑world enterprise AI applications
How can I learn the requirements?
If you want to learn the topics for the AI-103 exam, then have a look at Microsoft’s Course AI-103T00-A: Develop AI apps and agents on Azure.
Conclusions
The introduction of AI‑103 marks a significant milestone in Microsoft’s AI certification journey.
It acknowledges that:
- AI development has moved beyond simple model calls
- Agents, tools, and orchestration are now first‑class concepts
- Developers need validated skills in building robust, production‑ready AI systems
If you are:
- Currently working with generative AI
- Building or planning to build AI agents
- Teaching, learning, or consulting in modern AI architectures
…then AI‑103 is likely to become the go‑to Microsoft AI certification going forward.
