The AI job boom continues: Build the skills that move business forward

Gretchen LaBelle: Copilot + Agents Learning Portfolio Manager, Global Skilling

Tarek Saleh Eldin: Content Publishing Manager, Global Skilling

 

In Part 1 of this series, The AI job boom is here. Are you ready to showcase your skills?, we explored how Microsoft Certifications across AI, cloud, and security are evolving to keep pace with a rapidly changing job market. AI is no longer a niche capability. It’s becoming foundational across roles, reshaping how work gets done, and redefining how professionals create impact.

This post picks up that thread.

As organizations move from experimenting with AI to operationalizing it at scale, big changes are happening in business solutions roles. These shifts demand the ability to apply AI in real business contexts, redesign processes, build intelligent apps and agents, and lead transformation responsibly across the organization.

Earlier this year, Microsoft introduced four new AI business solutions Certifications:

• Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect (Exam AB‑100)
• Microsoft 365 Certified: Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals (Exam AB‑900)
• Microsoft Certified: AI Business Professional (Exam AB‑730)
• Microsoft Certified: AI Transformation Leader (Exam AB‑731)

Together, these Certifications map to the critical roles in an AI‑driven workplace, from business practitioners and IT administrators to solution architects and transformation leaders. Building on that foundation, we’re launching new Certifications to help amplify human skills for AI-powered roles in the business landscape.

New AI business solutions credentials: April 2026 and beyond

Additional new Certification exams begin rolling out in beta starting in April 2026, with more releases over the following months, and going live later this year.

 

 

• The Microsoft Certified: AI Agent Builder Associate Certification is designed for tech pros, including developers, AI engineers, and architects, who are pushing AI agents beyond out‑of‑the‑box scenarios to implement production‑ready Microsoft Copilot Studio agents and multi‑agent solutions capable of sophisticated processes, workflow automation, and enterprise integration. Exam AB-620 beta and training available in April 2026; exam expected to go live in June 2026.

 

• The Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Contact Center AI Engineer Associate Certification is designed for contact center engineers and solutions pros who design and run modern contact center as a service (CCaaS) solutions with Dynamics 365 Contact Center and service‑oriented autonomous agents. This Certification goes beyond routing and channels, focusing on how AI, Microsoft Copilot, and agents deliver scalable, always‑on service across voice and digital channels. Exam AB-250 beta and training available in June 2026; exam expected to go live in August 2026.

 

• The Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Sales AI Consultant Associate Certification is for modern sellers who design and operationalize AI‑powered sales solutions across the lead‑to‑cash lifecycle, emphasizing Copilot-driven productivity and insights, AI-powered opportunity research and qualification, agent configuration and lifecycle management, and secure, scalable automation aligned with governance and responsible AI. Exam AB‑210 beta and training available in May 2026; exam expected to go live in June 2026.

 

• The Microsoft Certified: Intelligent Applications Builder Associate Certification equips Microsoft Power Platform pros to build for an AI-first world, where apps, agents, automation, and models work as one. It validates the skills to use Copilot and natural language to design intelligent solutions, embed agents across experiences, and ship responsibly with strong governance and application lifecycle management. Exam AB-410 beta and training available in April 2026; exam expected to go live in June 2026.

 

• The Microsoft Applied Skills: Build an Agent-First App credential validates learners’ ability to build an app that surfaces a Copilot Studio agent and to craft prompts that make the agent genuinely effective, not just functional. This credential is part of the broader Microsoft Certified: Intelligent Applications Builder Associate (Exam AB-410) Certification journey, serving as a fast, accessible entry point for those looking to get started with agent-first development before pursuing the full Certification. Credential and training expected to go live in June 2026.

 

• Refresh: The Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals Certification (Exam PL-900) is being updated with a streamlined, one-day instructor-led course and a new training program. These improvements are designed to align with the AI-powered Microsoft Power Platform and to make it easier than ever for learners to start building confidently. Training and courseware updates are scheduled for June 2026, with minor exam changes planned at the same time to reflect these enhancements.

Retiring Certifications: What you need to know

We’re committed to keeping our Certifications portfolio aligned with latest technology. As we launch new Certifications, we also retire some older credentials to keep the portfolio mapped to evolving roles.

The following table itemizes what’s changing and provides key dates for Certification and training retirements in 2026. If your Certification is eligible for renewal, please renew it before the retirement date.

 

 

Note: The recently released Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect Certification (Exam AB‑100), although not a direct replacement for the retiring Certifications listed here, is the flagship expert‑level Certification, spanning a significantly broader scope and covering agentic architectures, AI‑driven solution design, and end‑to‑end business impact. If you currently hold one of the retiring expert-level Certifications (associated with Exam MB‑700, Exam PL‑600, Exam MB-335, Exam MB-240, or Exam PL-500), consider pursuing the Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect Certification (Exam AB‑100) as your next step.

Navigating the transition: FAQs

The following questions and answers can help you determine how these retirements and expanded portfolio could impact your learning journey:

Q. Why is Microsoft implementing these updates?

A. Microsoft Credentials are valuable, as is the time you spend earning them. With the ongoing evolutions in technology, it’s essential that we keep the credentials up to date so we can help you stay aligned with latest skills and trends. We’re implementing these updates to provide a valuable path forward to keep up with the latest skills.

 

Q. I’ve already earned one of the retiring Certifications. What happens now?

A. If you’ve already earned any of the retiring Certifications, your credential remains valid until it expires. Retirement does not revoke or invalidate Certifications that were earned while the exam was active. They show your continued dedication to staying up to date and learning new skills in this ever-changing technical landscape.

 

Q. What if a Certification that’s retiring is part of the prerequisites for an expert-level Certification?

A. If a retiring Certification is required for an expert-level Certification, the requirements for that expert-level Certification will be updated as needed. The retiring Certification will be removed from the requirements and replaced (as appropriate) with a new associate-level Certification.

If you’ve earned an expert-level Certification by earning an associate-level Certification that’s now retiring, you’ll continue to hold the expert-level Certification as long as you renew the expert-level Certification when it’s eligible. After you’ve earned a Certification, and if you renew it when it’s eligible, you hold it until it expires.

If you’ve earned an associate-level Certification that’s a requirement for an expert-level Certification and that associate-level Certification hasn't expired, it can still satisfy the expert-level requirement. Be sure to meet all the requirements for the expert-level Certification before the associate-level Certification expires. Expired Certifications cannot be used to meet the requirements for an expert-level Certification.

 

Q. Can I renew a soon-to-retire Certification?

A. Yes, as long as it’s eligible for renewal and you renew it before the Certification officially retires, you can renew a soon-to-retire Certification. Please note that Fundamentals Certifications don’t expire.

 

Q. Is there a direct transition path from a retiring Certification that I’ve already earned to the related new Certification, or do I need to pass the new exam?

A. To earn the new Certification, you need to pass the new exam, since the new exam and the old one don’t measure the same skill sets.

 

Q. I’m preparing for an exam that’s retiring. What should I do?

A. The time you spend preparing for an exam and earning a Certification never goes to waste. If you’re actively preparing for an exam that’s retiring and a replacement exam has been announced:

• If you’ve already registered for the exam, you can continue preparing for it and take it while it’s still available. Keep in mind that after the exam retires, you won’t be able to retake it if you don’t pass, and you won’t be able to renew it. Exam registration ends on the same day that the exam retires.
• If you haven’t registered for the exam and there’s a related new exam, we strongly recommend that you prepare for and take the new exam instead, as noted in the following table.

• If you’re preparing for Exam PL-900 to earn the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals Certification, the new Course PL-900 will be available at the end of June 2026.
• If you’re preparing for Exam MB-335 to earn the Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Associate Certification, Exam MB-700 to earn the Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Solution Architect Expert Certification, or Exam PL-600 to earn the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Solution Architect Expert Certification, consider preparing for and taking Exam AB-100 to earn the Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect Certification, the new flagship expert‑level Certification for solutions architects, available now. Note that to earn the Certification, you must pass Exam AB-100 and you must also have a current associate-level Certification.

 

Q. How might these updates impact partner competency requirements?

A. To track whether and how these updates might impact partner competency requirements, go to Solutions Partner for Business Applications in the Partner Center.

The bigger picture

AI is transforming not only what technology can do but also who does the work and how.

Whether you’re building agents, designing intelligent apps, transforming sales, or leading enterprise AI strategy, there’s now a Certification that reflects the real skills your role demands. These Certifications can help ensure that you’re not only ready for AI-driven work but you’re also leading it.

We’ll share updates for the new AI business solutions Certifications, including beta exams and go-live dates, on The Skills Hub Blog. Stay tuned!

Explore more Microsoft Credentials on AI Skills Navigator.