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AIAC AI ASSURANCE COUNCIL™

AIAC-CAAA · Associate grade · Applied AI

Certified Applied AI Associate

For professionals in any role who use AI at work, and verify what it produces before it is relied on.

30-minute assessment · online, unproctored · pass mark 70% · does not expire

US$199

Waived with a coupon code
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§ 1 — Intended candidates

Who this certification is for

AI is now part of everyday work in every function. This credential certifies what an employer needs to know about anyone who uses it. The holder understands what AI is and where it fails, uses it responsibly within the organisation’s rules, and verifies its output before relying on it. It is not a professional examination, and it does not certify the ability to assess or audit an AI system.

Professionals in any function who use AI tools at work
Managers and teams adopting AI in their work
Professionals moving into roles that AI now affects
Students and graduates entering the workforce
Prerequisites
No formal prerequisites. Open to anyone aged 18 or over. Recommended: regular use of AI tools at work or in study.

The professional grades, for finance and accounting: Certified AI in Finance & Accounting — Fundamentals and Certified AI in Finance & Accounting — Professional. The Certified Applied AI Associate is not a prerequisite for either.

§ 2 — Assessment domains

What the assessment covers

The assessment is set against the published syllabus in five weighted domains. Nothing outside it is assessed, and the full syllabus lists every topic.

  1. 01

    AI fundamentals20%

    What AI is and is not, machine learning versus rule-based systems, narrow versus general AI, and the common terms in everyday use.

  2. 02

    How AI works20%

    Data, training, and models; why AI systems err; and what it means that outputs are probabilistic rather than certain.

  3. 03

    Generative AI and everyday use20%

    Large language models, prompting basics, the common tools, and sensible workplace use cases.

  4. 04

    Risks, limits and responsible use25%

    Hallucinations, bias, privacy, deepfakes, verification habits, disclosure of AI use, and human oversight.

  5. 05

    AI governance awareness15%

    Why organisations govern AI; what AI policies and governance frameworks typically cover, and the principles common to them — fairness, accountability, transparency, human oversight; and what AI assurance means as a profession.

§ 3 — Preparation

What preparation is anchored to

The published syllabusA practice test, with answersA seven-day study plan

The Council’s self-paced video course for this credential, twenty lessons, is open free of charge in the candidate portal. Using it is optional. Candidates may instead prepare through an employer programme or by self-study against the published syllabus, and no route is a condition of sitting or an advantage in marking.

Third-party preparation

Free resources published by others, listed without endorsement. The credential certifies what the candidate knows, not where it was learned.

§ 4 — Assessment

How candidates are assessed

  1. 01

    Register

    Create a candidate account in the portal with your name and email address. Nothing is payable to register.

  2. 02

    Settle the fee

    Pay the assessment fee, or enter a coupon code from the AI-Readiness Check (about two minutes), which waives it in full. One fee or one code covers every attempt. Confirm on the start form that you are 18 or over.

  3. 03

    Sit the assessment

    About 30 multiple-choice questions in 30 minutes, drawn from the published syllabus against the domain weights. Taken online, in full screen and in one sitting.

  4. 04

    Result and credential

    The result is shown on submission. A pass issues the credential at once, with a unique identifier, a public register entry and the post-nominal AIAC-CAAA. A fail shows the score by domain, and the assessment may be retaken after 7 days at no further charge.

Questions
~30
Time limit
30 min
Pass mark
70%
Delivery
Online
Retake
7 days
Validity
No expiry

One best answer from four options, with each attempt drawn fresh against the domain weights. It runs in full screen and is taken in one sitting. Closing or reloading its window submits it as it stands. Leaving the window gives a warning, and at warning 3 of 3, or after more than 10 seconds away, it is submitted.

The assessment is unproctored and machine marked on the server, with the result shown the moment you finish. Its integrity is structural. Papers are drawn from a large bank in random order, the clock is fixed, each person holds the credential once and attempts are rate limited. Every credential carries a unique identifier anyone can check on the public register.

§ 5 — What you receive

What you receive

Digital certificate
Issued in the name on the candidate account, with the issue date and a unique identifier in the AIAC-L namespace. Identifiers are never reused.
Public register entry
A verification page showing the holder, the credential, the issue date and its current status. Anyone with the identifier can check it, without an account and without contacting the holder.
Post-nominal and badge
The letters AIAC-CAAA after the holder’s name, and a badge for the Licenses and certifications section of LinkedIn with the verification link attached.

A holder is also entered on the register at Registered standing, with no annual fee. Register entries are never deleted. A credential that is withdrawn stays on the register and says so.

§ 6 — FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What does the Certified Applied AI Associate certify?

That the holder understands what AI is and where it fails, uses it responsibly within an organisation’s rules, and verifies its output before relying on it. It does not certify the ability to assess or audit an AI system.

Can I use AIAC-CAAA after my name?

Yes. A holder may write AIAC-CAAA after their name, on a profile, in a signature or on a CV, ideally with the verification link beside it.

Does the Certified Applied AI Associate expire?

No. It does not expire and there is nothing to renew. It carries its issue date.

How can an employer verify a Certified Applied AI Associate?

Enter the identifier on the public register. The entry shows the holder’s name, the credential, its issue date and its current status. No account is needed. The public register.

What happened to the AI Literacy Certificate?

It became the Certified Applied AI Associate. Every holder of the AI Literacy Certificate has been upgraded to the Certified Applied AI Associate, with the same identifier, the same issue date and the same verification link. The assessment and the syllabus are the same, so there is nothing to retake.

How does the Certified Applied AI Associate differ from the finance and accounting credentials?

Those are professional examinations, remotely proctored and recorded, with identity verified and every result reviewed by a person before release. This credential is assessed online without proctoring, and is not a prerequisite for them. See the certifications.

Scheme-wide questions are answered on the FAQ.

§ 7 — Further reading

Background reading

§ 8 — Enrol

Enrol through the candidate portal

Enrolment is open. Create an account or sign in, settle the fee or enter a coupon code, and sit the assessment on any day. One fee or one code covers every attempt, and the result is shown on submission.

EnrolGet a coupon code from the AI-Readiness Check