New AWS Certified AI Practitioner and Machine Learning Engineer Associate Certifications

AWS has announced the introduction of two new certifications: the AWS Certified AI Practitioner and the AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer — Associate. These additions aim to validate skills in AI and machine learning, expanding AWS’s robust certification program.

AWS Certified AI Practitioner

Overview: The AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) certification is designed to establish foundational AI knowledge, targeting individuals with a general understanding of AI and machine learning concepts. This certification is ideal for those looking to begin a career in AI or to enhance their credentials in the tech field.

Beta Exam: The beta version of the AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) certification exam will be available for registration starting August 13, 2024. It will feature 85 questions to be completed in 170 minutes, available in English and Japanese, with a fee of $75.

Exam Topics: The exam will cover several key areas:

• Fundamentals of AI and Machine Learning: Understanding basic AI concepts and their applications.
• Data Preparation and Analysis: Techniques for preparing data for machine learning models.
• Model Training and Deployment: Best practices for training and deploying AI models using AWS services.
• AI Services on AWS: Knowledge of AI services such as Amazon Rekognition, Amazon Comprehend, and Amazon Lex.

This certification is tailored for individuals who are new to AI and want to gain a strong foundational understanding.

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer — Associate (MLA-C01)

Overview: The AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer — Associate (MLA-C01) is intended for professionals with at least one year of experience in machine learning engineering and hands-on experience with AWS services. This certification does not replace the AWS Certified Machine Learning — Specialty; rather, both certifications will coexist to serve different professional needs and experience levels.

Beta Exam: The beta exam for the AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer — Associate (MLA-C01) certification will also open for registration on August 13, 2024. Like the AI Practitioner exam, it includes 85 questions and must be completed in 170 minutes, with a $75 fee. The exam will be available in English and Japanese.

Exam Topics: The key areas of focus for this certification include:

• Data Preparation for ML Models: Techniques for preparing and processing data for machine learning.
• Feature Engineering: Methods for creating features to improve model performance.
• Model Training: Best practices for training machine learning models.
• Model Performance and Metrics: Evaluating model accuracy and effectiveness.
• Model Integration and Deployment: Deploying models into production environments.
• Performance and Cost Optimization: Strategies for optimizing the performance and cost-efficiency of ML workloads.
• Security: Implementing security best practices for ML models and data.

This certification is designed for backend software developers, DevOps engineers, data engineers, MLOps engineers, and data scientists who are involved in the implementation and operationalization of ML workloads in production environments.

Key Differences Between the New Certifications

The AWS Certified AI Practitioner is an entry-level certification that covers a broad range of AI concepts and AWS AI services. In contrast, the AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer — Associate is more specialized, focusing on technical skills required for implementing and managing machine learning workloads on AWS.

While the AI Practitioner is suited for beginners or those looking to validate their general AI knowledge, the Machine Learning Engineer — Associate certification targets professionals with a year of hands-on experience in machine learning engineering.

Differences Between Associate and Specialty Levels

The new AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer — Associate certification and the existing Machine Learning — Specialty certification cater to different experience levels and career goals. The Associate certification is tailored for professionals with at least one year of practical machine learning experience on AWS, focusing on core ML engineering tasks such as data preparation, model training, and deployment.

In contrast, the Specialty certification is designed for individuals with deeper expertise, encompassing advanced ML concepts and specialized AWS services. This differentiation helps candidates choose a certification that best matches their current skills and career aspirations.

As mentioned before, it appears both certifications will coexist, providing a pathway from the foundational AI Practitioner level, through the ML Associate, and then to the ML Specialty for those interested in pursuing a career in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Next Steps

As of now, AWS has not released detailed exam guides for these new certifications. Interested candidates are encouraged to sign up for updates on the AWS certification pages and prepare using available resources such as AWS Skill Builder.

For those looking to advance their careers in AI and machine learning, these new certifications from AWS provide an excellent opportunity to validate your skills and knowledge. With the growing demand for AI and ML specialists, obtaining these certifications can significantly enhance your career prospects.

Stay tuned for more details and prepare to register for the beta exams on August 13, 2024.

For more information, visit the AWS Certification Coming Soon page, the AWS Certified AI Practitioner page, and the AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer — Associate page.

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