AI certifications are one of the fastest ways to showcase your AI skills and advance your career. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned professional, certifications can give you the credibility, knowledge, and confidence to stand out in the tech world. Let’s dive into why AI certifications matter and explore the best options available today!
Why are AI Certifications Important?
There is commitment and interest behind every AI certification, and recruiters know that. Here are other reasons why they matter:
- Credibility: Certifications validate your expertise and make your resume stand out. Especially if they cover a specific tool, framework, or industry area.
- Skill Enhancement: They help you gain hands-on experience with AI tools and frameworks widely use in the industry.
- Career Opportunities: Many employers prioritise candidates with recognised certifications. Some even ask for it before or while you work with them.
- Keeping Up with Trends: AI evolves rapidly, and certifications help you stay ahead of the curve.
In short, certifications bridge the gap between theory and practical, real-world applications.
Keep in mind that many companies may still require experience, a relevant degree, or programming skills. Certifications aren’t a substitute for experience but are valuable for building knowledge, learning new technologies, and showcasing your interest and abilities to employers.
What are The Best AI Certifications?
From industry-led programs to academic options, there are certifications for every skill level and career goal. Here’s a breakdown of the best ones:
The Best AI Certifications for Beginners
Not sure where to start? These beginner-friendly certifications are perfect for entry-level learners:
NVIDIA: Getting Started with AI on Jetson Nano
Uses NVIDIA Jetson developer kits and Jupyter iPython notebooks to run multiple neural networks in parallel for applications like image classification, object detection, segmentation, and speech processing.
- Why Choose It? Build and train a classification data set and model with the NVIDIA Jetson Nano.
- Cost: Free
Coursera: AI For Everyone (Andrew Ng)
Andrew Ng’s introductory course is accessible and ideal for non-programmers.
- Why Choose It? Learn about common AI terminology, how to spot opportunities to apply AI, and how to work with AI and AI teams
- Cost: Free trial (or $39 per month subscription)
Udemy: Artificial Intelligence A-Z
Covers AI basics, neural networks, and simple projects. Perfect to self-improving AI skills from beginner to expert.
- Why Choose It? Combine the power of Data Science, Machine Learning and Deep Learning to create powerful AI for Real-World applications
- Cost: €139.99
The Best AI Industry-Led Certifications
Google TensorFlow Developer Certification
Google offers certifications like TensorFlow Developer Certificate, which focuses on machine learning and deep learning. It's ideal for developers looking to specialise in AI frameworks.
- Why Choose It? Recognised globally, focuses on TensorFlow mastery.
- Cost: $100 for the exam.
Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate Certification
Microsoft’s Azure AI Engineer Associate certification focuses on using Azure AI services for building intelligent solutions.
- Why Choose It? Perfect for cloud-based AI developers.
- Cost: $165 per exam.
NVIDIA AI Infrastructure and Operations Certification
NVIDIA offers an AI Infrastructure and Operations Certification ideal for IT professionals and others looking to validate fundamental skills in AI infrastructure and operations. The Deep Learning Institute also provides hands-on training with NVIDIA hardware.
- Why Choose It? Great for those working with high-performance computing and neural networks.
- Cost: Course prices start at $135.
IBM AI Certification
IBM’s AI Engineering Professional Certificate (available on Coursera) covers machine learning, deep learning, and Python for data science.
- Why Choose It? Comprehensive and beginner-friendly.
- Cost: Around $39/month on Coursera.
AWS Certified Machine Learning Speciality Certification
AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty is designed for individuals working with machine learning models on Amazon Web Services.
- Why Choose It? Ideal for developers leveraging AWS for AI solutions.
- Cost: $300 per exam.
The Best AI University-Led Certifications
University-led certifications provide a strong theoretical foundation with hands-on knowledge as well as programming and frameworks training. Here are some top options:
Stanford Online – Artificial Intelligence Professional Certificate
Stanford’s AI professional program covers key topics like machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics.
- Why Choose It? Helps you build your own AI models and algorithms and evaluate their performance.
- Cost: $1,750 per per course.
MIT Professional Certificate Program in Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence
A comprehensive program focused on real-world AI applications and understanding of artificial intelligence technologies such as natural language processing, predictive analytics, deep learning, and algorithmic methods.
- Why Choose It? Be involved and obtain knowledge with multiple AI essential disciplines.
- Cost: $2,500-$3,000 per course.
Harvard’s Data Science Professional Certificate (via edX)
This program blends AI concepts with practical applications in data science.
- Why Choose It? Become familiar with essential tools for practicing data scientists such as GitHub, R, Linux, ggplot2, dplyr, and machine learning algorithms.
- Cost: $1,332.90.
The Best Free AI Certifications
Want to learn AI without spending a dime? Check out from these free options:
Google’s Machine Learning Crash Course
An excellent beginner course with practical labs.
- Why Choose It? Fast-paced, practical introduction to machine learning with real-world examples.
Elements of AI (by University of Helsinki)
A highly-rated free course that introduces AI concepts in an easy-to-understand way.
- Why Choose It? Learn the basics of AI, the actual algorithms that form an AI, basic Python, and business applications.
edX: Intro to Artificial Intelligence by Microsoft
A free beginner-level course that introduces basic AI concepts.
- Why Choose It? Computer science course with an overview of AI. Also covers ML foundations, text and speech, computer vision, and bots.
Top AI Certifications Compared
| Certification | Best For | Cost | Est. Learning Duration | Key Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA: Getting Started with AI on Jetson Nano | AI Beginners | Free | 8h | Hands-on AI training with Jetson Nano |
| Google’s Machine Learning Crash Course | AI Beginners | Free | 15h | Intro to AI concepts |
| Elements of AI (University of Helsinki) | AI Beginners | Free | 50h | Comprehensive AI fundamentals |
| edX: Intro to Artificial Intelligence (Microsoft) | AI Beginners | Free | ~4 weeks (3-4h pw) | AI fundamentals with Microsoft tools |
| Coursera: AI For Everyone (Andrew Ng) | Non-technical professionals | Free trial ($39/month after) | 6h | AI literacy for business applications |
| IBM AI Certification | AI Beginners | $39/month | ~6 months (4h pw) | Comprehensive, beginner-friendly |
| Google TensorFlow Developer Certification | TensorFlow Developers | $100 (exam) | Self-paced | TensorFlow mastery |
| NVIDIA AI Infrastructure and Operations Certification | AI Infrastructure Professionals | $135+ | 7h | Deep learning & AI infrastructure |
| Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate | Cloud-based AI Solutions | $165 | 1-3 months | Enterprise cloud expertise |
| AWS Certified Machine Learning Speciality | Developers using AWS AI | $300 | Self-paced | AWS AI expertise |
How to Choose the Right AI Certification?
Choosing the right certification depends on your career goals and skill level. Here are some tips to help you decide what AI certification is right for you:
- Relevance to your goals (e.g. are you aiming for a tech role, data science, or business application?)
- Reputation and credibility (i.e. is the certification offered by a reputable institution? University, leading tech company, reputable course platform?)
- Curriculum (e.g. does the curriculum cover the skills and knowledge you want to gain, such as Python programming, TensorFlow, deep learning, etc.?)
- Prerequisites (i.e. do you need prior knowledge on machine learning, programming, or mathematics)
- Learning format (i.e. online or in-person? flexible or scheduled?)
- Duration (i.e. How long will it take to complete?)
- Cost (Compare the cost of the certification with your budget)
- Reviews (Look at reviews or testimonials from past students for strengths and weaknesses)
Conclusion
Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, AI certifications are a smart investment to boost your career, up-skill, and obtain new knowledge in the subject. From Google and IBM to university-led programs, there’s something for everyone. Knowledge is power so start small, explore free resources, and gradually work your way up to industry-recognised certifications 🚀.