Introduction to AI in Azure

This course introduces fundamental concepts related to artificial intelligence (AI), and the services in Microsoft Azure that can be used to create AI solutions. It teaches a mix of AI concepts and technology skills that are considered foundational to a successful career implementing AI solutions on Microsoft Azure.

Audience Profile

This course is for aspiring technology professionals at the beginning of their careers in AI solution development. Some knowledge of Python coding syntax and programming techniques is useful. Additionally, knowledge of core cloud concepts, including cloud storage, cloud compute, and cloud-based authentication and authorization, is

recommended.

Course Outcome

By the end of this course, students will be able to identify fundamental AI concepts and the various Azure services available for building AI solutions. Participants will gain hands-on experience exploring generative AI, natural language processing, computer vision, and information extraction tools, establishing a technical foundation for developing AI applications on the Azure platform.

Course Outline

Module 01: Introduction to AI concepts

Curious about artificial intelligence? Want to understand what the buzz is about? This module introduces you to the world of AI.

• Generative AI and agents.

• Text and natural language.

• Speech.

• Computer vision.

• Information extraction.

• Responsible AI.

• Exercise - Explore a simple AI agent.

Module 02: Introduction to generative AI and agents

Generative AI powers applications that can create content, answer questions, and assist with tasks. In this module, you'll explore the fundamentals of generative AI, including large language models (LLMs), prompts, and AI agents.

• Large language models (LLMs).

• Prompts.

• AI agents.

• Exercise - Explore generative AI.

Module 03: Introduction to natural language processing concepts

Natural language processing (NLP) supports applications that can analyze text to infer semantic meaning.

• Tokenization.

• Statistical text analysis.

• Semantic language models.

• Exercise - Explore text analytics.

Module 04: Introduction to AI speech concepts

Imagine AI apps and agents that you can talk to. Explore the concepts behind AI speech, including speech recognition and synthesis.

• Speech-enabled solutions.

• Speech recognition.

• Speech synthesis.

• Exercise - Explore AI speech.

Module 05: Introduction to computer vision concepts

Introduction to computer vision concepts.

• Computer vision tasks and techniques.

• Images and image processing.

• Convolutional neural networks.

• Vision transformers and multimodal models.

• Image generation.

• Exercise - Explore computer vision.

Module 06: Introduction to AI-powered information extraction concepts

AI information extraction enables you to extract data values from documents, images, and other unstructured data sources.

• Overview of information extraction.

• Optical character recognition (OCR).

• Field extraction and mapping.

• Exercise - Explore AI information extraction.

Module 07: Get started with AI in Azure

Learn how Microsoft enables you to build AI with the latest technology, securely, and at scale.

• Understand Azure.

• Developing AI apps on Azure.

• Microsoft Foundry for AI.

• Using Microsoft Foundry endpoints.

• Exercise - Get started with Microsoft Foundry.

• Knowledge check.

Module 08: Get started with generative AI and agents in Azure

Learn how to use generative AI models and agents with Microsoft Foundry.

• Generative AI models.

• Using a generative AI model.

• Creating an agent.

• Exercise - Get started with generative AI and agents in Microsoft Foundry.

Module 09: Get started with text analysis in Azure

Explore Azure Language's text analysis features, which include sentiment analysis, key phrase extraction, named entity recognition, and language detection.

• Azure Language.

• Azure Language SDK.

• Azure Language MCP.

• Exercise - Get started with text analysis in Microsoft Foundry.

Module 10: Get started with speech in Azure

Learn how to recognize and synthesize speech using Azure Speech in Foundry Tools.

• Speech recognition.

• Speech synthesis.

• Creating a speech-capable agent.

• Exercise - Get started with speech in Microsoft Foundry.

Module 11: Get started with computer vision in Azure

This module introduces computer vision capabilities in Foundry, focusing on how developers can analyze images and generate visual content using multimodal, image-generation, and video-generation models.

• Multimodal models for image analysis.

• Image generation models.

• Video generation models.

• Exercise - Get started with computer vision in Microsoft Foundry.

Module 12: Get started with AI-powered information extraction in Azure

AI gives you the power to unlock insights from your data. Learn how to use Azure Content Understanding in Foundry Tools to extract information from content.

• Extract information from documents.

• Extract information from audio and video.

• Exercise - Get started with Content Understanding in Microsoft Foundry.

Certification Overview

As a candidate for this Microsoft Certification, you’re at the beginning of your career in AI solution development.

For this exam, you should have conceptual knowledge of AI solutions in Azure and the foundational technical skills to work with them. You also need knowledge of Python coding syntax and programming techniques, and you should be familiar with Azure resources.

Skills Measured

Exam AI-901 measures the following skill sets:

Identify AI Concepts and Responsibilities  40 to 45% Covers AI workload types, Responsible AI principles, machine learning fundamentals, NLP, computer vision, and speech AI. Tests conceptual understanding and practical application of AI governance.

Implement AI Solutions Using Microsoft Foundry  55 to 60% Covers AI application workflows, model deployment, prompt engineering basics, Azure AI service selection, and AI integration patterns. This is the higher-weighted domain that prioritizes it in your study plan.

This exam validates your knowledge of:

• Core AI concepts and machine learning basics.

• Azure AI services and workloads.

• Responsible AI principles.

• Generative AI fundamentals.

• Microsoft Foundry  Azure's unified AI platform.