Which AI certification should you choose? The 8 PECB certifications compared
If you are starting out in AI governance, the natural choice is ISO/IEC 42001 Foundation: 2 days of material, a 1-hour exam and a price from €440. To implement an AI management system, choose ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer; to audit one, ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor. To lead AI adoption in the business there is CAIM; for technical profiles, CAIP; for security teams, CAISP; for risk, Lead AI Risk Manager; and for compliance with the EU framework, EU AI Governance Professional.
All eight are official PECB certifications, and all eight have their material in English. RRSG offers them in two options: self-study with the official material and the exam, or self-study with one-to-one coaching by an expert selected by RRSG. Below you will find the full table, a guide to choosing by profile, and the most frequent questions.
AI literacy: what Article 4 of the EU AI Act asks for
Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 on artificial intelligence has applied since 2 February 2025. It asks providers and deployers of AI systems to take AI literacy measures for their staff and for other persons operating those systems on their behalf. Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, in force since 27 July 2026, kept the obligation and clarified that it does not require a specific level of competence to be guaranteed for each individual.
The Regulation does not require any particular certification. A certification is, however, a documented and verifiable way to evidence the training of key people: those who govern AI (ISO/IEC 42001, CAIM, EU AI Governance Professional), those who manage its risks (Lead AI Risk Manager) and those who secure it (CAISP).
The 8 AI certifications at a glance
Prices per person, VAT included where applicable, as shown on each course page. The material is the official PECB material; the table shows the languages it exists in, which are not always the exam languages.
| Certification | Who it is for | Level | Material languages | Official exam | Price per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO/IEC 42001 Foundation | People starting out in AI governance, and teams that develop or use AI systems. | Foundation, 2 days of material | English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and other languages | 40 multiple-choice questions, 1 hour, closed book, 70 % to pass. In English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and other languages. | Self-study: €440 With coaching: €790 |
| ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer | AI, data and compliance leads implementing an AI management system, and consultants. | Lead, 5 days of material | English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and other languages | 80 multiple-choice questions with case studies, 3 hours, open book, 70 % to pass. In English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and other languages. | Self-study: €1,100 With coaching: €1,800 |
| ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor | Auditors who want to specialise in AI, and AI governance consultants. | Lead, 5 days of material | English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and other languages | 80 multiple-choice questions with case studies, 3 hours, open book, 70 % to pass. In English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and other languages. | Self-study: €1,100 With coaching: €1,800 |
| Certified AI Manager (CAIM) | Managers and leaders driving AI adoption across the business. | Professional, 5 days of material | English, Spanish, French and other languages | Multiple-choice questions, 3 hours. In English, Spanish, French and other languages. | Self-study: €1,100 With coaching: €1,800 |
| Certified AI Professional (CAIP) | Technical profiles: developers, data analysts and engineers. | Professional, 5 days of material | English, French and other languages | 80 multiple-choice questions with case studies, 3 hours, open book, 70 % to pass. In English, French and other languages. | Self-study: €1,100 With coaching: €1,800 |
| Certified AI Security Professional (CAISP) | Cybersecurity teams, security architects and CISOs adopting AI. | Professional, 5 days of material | English | 80 multiple-choice questions with case studies, 3 hours, open book, 70 % to pass. In English. | Self-study: €1,100 With coaching: €1,800 |
| Lead AI Risk Manager | AI risk managers and consultants. | Lead, 5 days of material | English | 80 multiple-choice questions with case studies, 3 hours, open book, 70 % to pass. In English. | Self-study: €1,100 With coaching: €1,800 |
| EU AI Governance Professional | Compliance, DPOs and legal advisers supporting AI projects. | Professional, 5 days of material | English | Multiple-choice questions, 3 hours. In English. | Self-study: €1,100 With coaching: €1,800 |
All of them include the official exam, with a free second attempt within 12 months if you need it. Except for Foundation, each certification grants its title according to proven experience (for example, CAIM: 5 years, including 2 in artificial intelligence management); with the exam passed and without that experience, you obtain the provisional title. Every level also requires signing the PECB Code of Ethics.
How to choose by profile
- You are starting out in AI governance, or your team needs a common foundation: ISO/IEC 42001 Foundation. It is also a good base before the Lead levels.
- You will implement an AI management system in your organisation or for a client: ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer.
- You audit, or will audit, AI management systems: ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor.
- You lead AI adoption in the business (strategy, governance, automation and use cases): CAIM.
- You work in development, data or engineering (machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision): CAIP.
- You secure AI systems (attack techniques, defensive controls, secure architecture): CAISP.
- You manage risk (identifying, analysing, treating and monitoring AI risk): Lead AI Risk Manager.
- You work in compliance, data protection or legal advice on AI projects in the European Union: EU AI Governance Professional, a new certification (material version 1.0, September 2026).
Two options, the same certificate
All eight certifications are offered in two options. Both include the official material, the official exam and the first issue of the certificate:
- Self-study: you set the pace and do not depend on any calendar. You receive access to the PECB platform at the latest within 24 working hours of payment and confirmation of your PECB account.
- Self-study with coaching: it adds one-to-one video-call sessions with an expert selected by RRSG, to prepare for the exam and apply what you learn to your real case: up to 3 hours for Foundation and up to 6 hours for the others. You set the session dates yourself.
The three ISO/IEC 42001 certifications are also available as video courses (eLearning): €550 for Foundation and €1,375 for Lead Implementer and Lead Auditor. With coaching, the price is the same with PDF or video. All 23 video courses are on the eLearning page.
RRSG practice exams for ISO/IEC 42001
If you would like to test yourself before the exam, RRSG has written practice exams for three of these certifications: ISO/IEC 42001 Foundation, ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer and ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor. Each one contains six full exams with an explanation of every option, for €49, VAT included. There is no practice exam yet for the other five.
Exam Mode is preparation material produced by RRSG. It is not an official examination and it is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by any certification body. Questions are original, written from the standard and from publicly available programme information, and do not reproduce the real exam.
Frequently asked questions
Does the EU AI Act require a certification?
No. Article 4 asks for AI literacy measures, not a specific certification. A certification is a documented way to evidence the training of the people who govern, manage or secure AI in the organisation.
Which languages are the material and the exam in?
All eight have English material and an English exam. Some also exist in other languages, shown in the table: the three ISO/IEC 42001 certifications in Spanish, French, German and Italian, among others; CAIM in Spanish and French; CAIP in French.
What is the difference between ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer and Lead Auditor?
Lead Implementer prepares you to plan, implement, measure and improve an AI management system under the standard. Lead Auditor prepares you to prepare, conduct and close audits of that system and to manage an audit programme. Both have 5 days of material and a 3-hour exam with case studies.
Do I need prior experience?
Not to sit the exam. Experience determines the title granted: with the exam passed and no proven experience you obtain the provisional title, and with the required experience, the full title.
When do I get access?
At the latest within 24 working hours of payment and confirmation of your PECB account, on the PECB platform. In self-study there is no calendar: you set the pace.
Further reading
- Free ISO/IEC 42001 guide.
- AI path: the order of the AI certifications, step by step.
- ISO/IEC 42001 and the EU AI Act, on the blog.
- All ISO/IEC 42001 courses in the catalogue.
- How coaching works.
If you are unsure which one suits you, I would be grateful if you could write to me from the contact page. I will normally reply within one working day.