Study guide for Exam AB-731: AI Transformation Leader

Purpose of this document

This study guide should help you understand what to expect on the exam and includes a summary of the topics the exam might cover and links to additional resources. The information and materials in this document should help you focus your studies as you prepare for the exam.

Useful links Description
Certification renewal Microsoft associate, expert, and specialty certifications expire annually. You can renew by passing a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn.
Your Microsoft Learn profile Connecting your certification profile to Microsoft Learn allows you to schedule and renew exams and share and print certificates.
Exam scoring and score reports A score of 700 or greater is required to pass.
Exam sandbox You can explore the exam environment by visiting our exam sandbox.
Request accommodations If you use assistive devices, require extra time, or need modification to any part of the exam experience, you can request an accommodation.
Take a free Practice Assessment Test your skills with practice questions to help you prepare for the exam.

About the exam

Some exams are localized into other languages, and those are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version is updated. If the exam isn't available in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes to complete the exam.

Note

The bullets that follow each of the skills measured are intended to illustrate how we are assessing that skill. Related topics may be covered in the exam.

Note

Most questions cover features that are general availability (GA). The exam may contain questions on Preview features if those features are commonly used.

Skills measured

Audience profile

As a candidate for this Microsoft Certification, you should understand how to recognize opportunities for AI transformation, identify the right AI tools and resources, plan for AI adoption, optimize business processes, and drive innovation by using Microsoft 365 Copilot and Azure AI services.

This Certification is designed for business decision-makers at all levels who are responsible for guiding transformation and innovation within their teams or organizations. In this role, you’re expected to demonstrate AI fluency, strategic vision, and the ability to lead AI adoption across teams and functions but are not expected to write any code.

As a candidate for this Certification, you should be able to evaluate AI opportunities, champion responsible AI practices, and align AI investments with business goals. You need experience leading adoption or change management in a business context. You must also be familiar with Microsoft 365 services, Microsoft Foundry, and general AI capabilities.

Skills at a glance

  • Identify the business value of generative AI solutions (35–40%)

  • Identify benefits, capabilities, and opportunities for Microsoft’s AI apps and services (35–40%)

  • Identify an implementation and adoption strategy for Microsoft’s AI apps and services (20–25%)

Identify the business value of generative AI solutions (35–40%)

Identify the foundational concepts of generative AI

  • Describe the differences between generative AI and other types of AI

  • Select a generative AI solution to meet a business need

  • Describe the differences between AI models, including fine-tuned and pretrained models

  • Explain the cost drivers in generative AI usage, including tokens and return-on-investment (ROI) considerations

  • Identify the challenges of using generative AI solutions, including fabrications, reliability, and bias

  • Identify when generative AI solutions can provide business value, including scalability and automation

Identify benefits and capabilities of generative AI solutions

  • Describe the impact of prompt engineering

  • Understand techniques of prompt engineering

  • Identify business requirements for grounding solutions

  • Understand how retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) is used for AI solutions

  • Understand the impact of data on AI solutions, including data type, data quality, and representative datasets

  • Describe the importance of secure AI

  • Identify scenarios when machine learning adds value

  • Describe the lifecycle of a machine learning solution

  • Identify security considerations for AI systems, including application security, data security, and authentication requirements

Identify benefits, capabilities, and opportunities for Microsoft’s AI apps and services (35–40%)

Identify benefits and capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot

  • Map business processes and use cases to Copilot

  • Understand differences in capabilities between versions of Copilot

  • Understand capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat web and mobile experiences

  • Understand capabilities of the Copilot experience in various Microsoft 365 apps

  • Understand capabilities of Microsoft Copilot Studio

  • Understand capabilities of Microsoft Graph

  • Identify benefits and capabilities of an integrated Microsoft AI solution, including risk mitigation and safety benefits

  • Map business processes and use cases to Microsoft’s AI apps and services

  • Identify when to use Researcher or Analyst in Copilot

  • Identify when to build, buy, or extend, including the Microsoft 365 Copilot extensibility framework

Identify benefits and capabilities of Foundry Tools

  • Map business processes and use cases to Foundry Tools

  • Identify capabilities of Azure AI services, including Azure Vision in Foundry Tools, Azure AI Search, and Microsoft Foundry

  • Match an AI model to a business need

  • Identify the benefits of Microsoft Foundry and Foundry Tools, including scalability and security

Identify an implementation and adoption strategy for Microsoft’s AI apps and services (20–25%)

Align an AI strategy with Microsoft responsible AI policies

  • Explain the importance of responsible AI

  • Establish governance principles for AI use

  • Establish an AI council to guide strategy, oversight, and cross-functional alignment

  • Ensure that AI solutions meet responsible AI standards, including fairness, reliability, safety, privacy, security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability

Plan for AI adoption across the organization

  • Establish an adoption team

  • Identify common barriers to adoption

  • Establish an AI champions program

  • Understand potential impacts to data, security, privacy, and cost

  • Understand Copilot license types, including pay-as-you go, monthly, and included with Microsoft 365 subscription

  • Understand Azure AI services subscription models, including pay-as-you-go and prepaid

Study resources

We recommend that you train and get hands-on experience before you take the exam. We offer self-study options and classroom training as well as links to documentation, community sites, and videos.

Study resources Links to learning and documentation
Get trained Choose from self-paced learning paths and modules or take an instructor-led course
Find documentation Artificial Intelligence overview
Microsoft 365 Copilot documentation
Microsoft Copilot Studio documentation
Azure AI Foundry documentation
Ask a question Microsoft Q&A | Microsoft Docs
Get community support Microsoft 365 Copilot community hub
Azure AI Foundry community hub
Follow Microsoft Learn Microsoft Learn - Microsoft Tech Community
Find a video Exam Readiness Zone
Browse other Microsoft Learn shows