Free credential · opening soon
AIAC AI Literacy Certificate
Prove you understand AI. Free, verified, on the public registry. One online assessment — no course, no fee, no catch.
§ 1 — Why it exists
One assessment, open to everyone
AI is now part of everyday work and life; understanding it is a skill worth being able to prove. This certificate is that proof: a free 30-minute assessment of what AI is, how it works, where it fails, and why organisations govern it. No background is assumed and no profession is presumed — anyone can take it, and anyone can verify it on the public registry.
No course required, no fee at any step. The syllabus below states what is assessed and lists free third-party preparation.
§ 2 — Who it serves
Who it is for
- Working professionals
- AI tools are in the workflow whether or not the job title says so. A verified baseline shows an employer the judgement behind the usage — when to rely on a model output, when to check it, and when to escalate.
- Students and graduates
- A CV line that says "familiar with AI" is unverifiable. A registry entry an employer can check in ten seconds is not.
- Career switchers
- The first credential on the path into AI assurance, governance, and audit roles — and the recommended preparation baseline before the professional tier.
- Teams and managers
- A common vocabulary for a team adopting AI: what a model can and cannot promise, what responsible use looks like, and why the organisation governs it.
§ 3 — How it works
Three steps
01
Register free
Create a candidate account with your name and email — the same account that serves the professional certifications later. No payment details exist anywhere in this process.
02
Take the 30-minute assessment
About 30 multiple-choice questions drawn from the published syllabus, weighted by domain and randomised per attempt. Online and timed, with an immediate result. Pass mark 70%; a failed attempt shows your score by domain and can be retaken after 7 days, free.
03
Get certified
A certificate with a unique AIAC-L verification identifier, a public registry entry, and a badge you can add to LinkedIn in one click. Employers verify it without contacting you — or the Council.
Assessment facts
~30 questions · 30 minutes · pass mark 70% · online, timed · free · retake after 7 days
One best answer from four options; each attempt draws fresh questions against the domain weights. Result is immediate. A fail reports your score per domain.
§ 4 — Syllabus
What the assessment covers
Five domains, weighted as below. Nothing outside this blueprint is examined.
| # | Domain | Weight | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AI fundamentals | 20% | What AI is and is not, machine learning versus rule-based systems, narrow versus general AI, and the common terms in everyday use. |
| 2 | How AI works | 20% | Data, training, and models; why AI systems err; and what it means that outputs are probabilistic rather than certain. |
| 3 | Generative AI and everyday use | 20% | Large language models, prompting basics, the common tools, and sensible workplace use cases. |
| 4 | Risks, limits and responsible use | 25% | Hallucinations, bias, privacy, deepfakes, verification habits, disclosure of AI use, and human oversight. |
| 5 | AI governance awareness | 15% | Why organisations govern AI; awareness-level knowledge of the IMDA Model AI Governance Framework, MAS FEAT, and AI Verify; and what AI assurance means as a profession. |
Recommended free preparation
Third-party, not affiliated with the Council. AIAC does not provide or endorse training — the credential certifies what you know, not where you learned it.
- Elements of AIUniversity of Helsinki / MinnaLearn
- AI for Everyone (AI4E)AI Singapore
- Free generative AI coursesMicrosoft / LinkedIn Learning
- Google AI Essentials (audit)Google / Coursera
§ 5 — What you receive
What you receive
The badge is deliberately the plainest mark in the Council's set — a single edge, no gold. Gold is reserved for the examined credentials.
- A digital certificate
- Carrying your name as registered, the issue date, and a unique identifier in the AIAC-L namespace. Identifiers are never reused.
- A public registry entry
- Every certificate has its own verification page showing the holder, the credential, the issue date, and its current status. Anyone with the identifier can check it — no account, no contact with the holder.
- A LinkedIn badge
- One click adds the credential to your profile with the verification link attached, so a recruiter who clicks it lands on the registry entry, not a claim.
Registry entries follow the same rule as everything the Council records: nothing is ever deleted. A certificate that is withdrawn stays on the registry and says so — a verification record that can disappear is not a verification record.
§ 6 — Standing
What this certificate is — and is not
It is
- A verified, registry-backed statement that you understand what AI is, how it works, where it fails, and why organisations govern it
- Free at every step — assessment, certificate, registry entry, and retakes
- The recommended starting point of the Council’s certification pathway
It is not
- A certification. This awareness-tier assessment is protected by randomised questions, an enforced time limit, and server-side marking; the certification tracks add live remote proctoring and two assessors, and each certificate states its tier
- A course. The Council does not provide, sell, or endorse training for it — preparation is yours to choose, and the syllabus lists free third-party resources
- A professional qualification. It certifies literacy, not practice — assessing an AI system for a living is what the professional tier examines
§ 7 — The pathway
Next step: the professional tier
The professional tier is Certified AI Assurance Practitioner (AIAC-01): proctored, examined on applied judgement, every script marked twice — an AI assessor first, an independent human assessor second. First examinations October 2026. The AI Literacy Certificate is not a prerequisite and earns no advantage in it; it is simply where most people should start.
§ 8 — Questions
Common questions
- Who can take it?
- Anyone. There are no prerequisites and no professional requirements — no background is assumed beyond an interest in getting AI right.
- Is it really free?
- Yes. The assessment, the certificate, the registry entry, and any retakes are all free. There is nothing to buy at any step, now or later.
- How hard is it?
- It assesses working understanding, not expertise: about 30 multiple-choice questions in 30 minutes, pass mark 70%. Someone who uses AI tools thoughtfully and has read the syllabus can expect to pass; someone starting cold can prepare with the free resources above in a weekend.
- Do I need to take a course first?
- No. Prepare however you like — the syllabus above states exactly what is assessed and links free third-party resources. The Council sells no preparation.
- How is the assessment protected?
- Every Council assessment is protected. At this tier, each attempt draws its own randomised questions from the item bank, the 30-minute limit is enforced, and marking happens on the Council’s servers — correct answers never reach the browser. The certification tracks add live remote proctoring and two assessors on top.
- What happens if I fail?
- You see your score for each of the five domains, so you know exactly what to revise, and you can retake the assessment free after 7 days.
- How does an employer check it?
- Every certificate carries a unique identifier with its own public verification page — the employer opens it and sees the holder, the credential, the issue date, and its status. No account, and no need to contact you.
- How is this different from the Council’s certifications?
- This certificate shows you understand AI. The certification tracks show you can do AI assurance work — professional examinations under live remote proctoring, marked by two assessors, opening October 2026. The AI Literacy Certificate is the recommended starting point, not a prerequisite.
- Does it expire?
- No.
The assessment opens shortly. The syllabus above is final — preparation started today is preparation for the real thing.