New AIB-C01 and MLA-C02 Exams Available AWS Certification Updates for 2026

AWS has introduced two important certification updates in September 2026: the new AWS Certified AI Business Strategist certification, associated with the AIB-C01 beta exam, and the updated AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate MLA-C02 beta exam.

These launches reflect AWS's continued focus on the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence. While AIB-C01 focuses on the business and strategic side of AI adoption, MLA-C02 expands the technical machine learning certification to include generative AI, foundation models, large language models (LLMs), and agentic AI.

AWS Certified AI Business Strategist AIB-C01 Exam

The new AWS Certified AI Business Strategist certification is designed for professionals who help organizations evaluate, adopt, govern, and scale AI initiatives. Unlike many technical AWS certifications, AIB-C01 does not require candidates to have coding skills or hands-on AWS implementation experience.

The certification is particularly relevant to:

●Product and program managers

●Business and line-of-business leaders

●Sales and business development professionals

●Consultants and business analysts

●Marketing professionals

●Other professionals responsible for AI adoption and business outcomes

AWS recommends approximately six months of experience working with or alongside AI initiatives, but no coding experience, AWS implementation experience, or other AWS certifications are required.

What Does AIB-C01 Test?

AIB-C01 uses business-oriented, scenario-based questions to evaluate strategic decision-making rather than detailed AWS service implementation knowledge.

The exam covers four major areas:

1. AI Fundamentals and Literacy – Understanding AI capabilities, limitations, and practical business applications.

2. AI Strategy and Business Value Creation – Evaluating AI use cases, developing business cases, measuring ROI, and determining investment priorities.

3. AI Governance and Responsible AI Leadership – Managing AI risks, establishing governance, and addressing regulatory and responsible AI considerations.

4. Business Readiness, Leadership, and AI Transformation – Assessing organizational readiness and leading AI initiatives from experimentation to broader adoption.

The beta exam contains 85 questions and has a 170-minute duration. The beta price is $50 USD, compared with a standard exam price of $100. The beta is offered in English and Japanese and can be taken at a Pearson testing center or through online proctoring.

AIB-C01 Key Dates

Registration for the AIB-C01 beta exam opened on September 1, 2026, with beta exam delivery beginning September 29, 2026. Candidates who earn the certification by February 15, 2027 can also receive an Early Adopter digital badge.

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate: MLA-C02

AWS is also updating its Machine Learning Engineer – Associate certification with the new MLA-C02 exam.

The update reflects how the machine learning engineering role has expanded beyond traditional machine learning. Modern ML professionals increasingly work with generative AI applications, foundation models, LLMs, AI agents, and production-scale AI systems.

MLA-C02 is aimed at professionals such as:

●Machine Learning Engineers

●MLOps Engineers

●Data Engineers

●Software Developers

●Data Scientists

●Machine Learning Architects

●Solutions Architects working with ML workloads

AWS recommends experience with services such as Amazon SageMaker AI and Amazon Bedrock, as well as experience with both traditional machine learning and generative AI.

What's New in MLA-C02?

The core exam domains remain, but the content has been updated to reflect modern ML engineering practices.

Key additions include:

●Generative AI implementation

●Foundation models and LLMs

●Agentic AI and AI agent workflows

●Amazon Bedrock

●Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)

●Responsible AI practices

●Updated machine learning engineering tasks and skills

Candidates will therefore need to understand not only how to build and operate traditional ML workloads, but also how modern generative AI solutions are implemented and managed in production.

MLA-C02 Exam Information

The MLA-C02 beta exam is currently available for registration in English. It contains 85 questions, lasts 170 minutes, and has a beta price of $75 USD. Candidates can take the exam at a Pearson VUE testing center or through online proctoring.

The key dates are:

●September 1, 2026: MLA-C02 beta registration opens

●September 28, 2026: Last day to take MLA-C01 in English

●September 29, 2026: MLA-C02 beta delivery begins

●January 14, 2027: General availability of MLA-C02

The existing MLA-C01 remains available in Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese during the beta period and will be retired in all languages when MLA-C02 reaches general availability.

AIB-C01 vs. MLA-C02: Which Exam Should You Choose?

Although both certifications are related to AI, they target very different professional profiles.

AIB-C01 is primarily a business and strategy certification. It is a strong option for professionals who make decisions about AI investments, business value, governance, adoption, and organizational transformation.

MLA-C02, on the other hand, is a technical certification for professionals who build, deploy, maintain, and monitor machine learning and generative AI solutions on AWS.

In simple terms:

●Choose AIB-C01 if your role focuses on AI strategy, business value, governance, and adoption.

●Choose MLA-C02 if your role focuses on machine learning engineering, MLOps, GenAI implementation, and production AI workloads.

The two certifications can also complement each other within an organization. AIB-C01 validates the strategic judgment needed to decide what AI initiatives should be pursued and why, while MLA-C02 validates the technical skills needed to build and operate AI solutions.

How to Prepare for the New Exams

Candidates preparing for either beta exam should begin with the official AWS exam guide and understand the skills and domains being assessed.

For AIB-C01, concentrate on AI fundamentals, business cases, ROI, governance, responsible AI, organizational readiness, change management, and AI transformation.

For MLA-C02, focus on traditional ML engineering alongside generative AI topics such as foundation models, LLMs, RAG, AI agents, Amazon Bedrock, and responsible AI.

AWS also recommends using its official preparation resources, including AWS Skill Builder courses, exam preparation plans, and practice questions.

The launch of AIB-C01 and MLA-C02 demonstrates how AWS certification is adapting to the growing influence of AI in both business and technology.

For business professionals, AWS Certified AI Business Strategist provides a new way to validate the ability to turn AI opportunities into measurable business outcomes. For technical professionals, MLA-C02 expands the Machine Learning Engineer – Associate certification to cover the technologies increasingly used in modern AI environments.

If you are planning an AWS certification in 2026 or 2027, understanding the difference between these two exams can help you choose the certification that best matches your career goals.