You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
EC-COUNCILEC-Council Artificial Intelligence Essentials
The EC-Council Artificial Intelligence Essentials (AIE) certification validates foundational AI literacy for professionals across all roles. It proves you understand core AI concepts, can use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude effectively, and apply AI responsibly and ethically. With hands-on labs and a focus on practical skills, AIE helps you build the verified AI fluency enterprises need to adopt AI faster and lead with confidence.
Exam formatMultiple choice
DeliveryPearson VUE
Free questions1023
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What EC-Council Artificial Intelligence Essentials proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
5domains
23objectives
149concepts
US $299exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The EC-Council Artificial Intelligence Essentials (AIE) certification is designed to establish a baseline of AI readiness for professionals in every industry. As AI transforms the workplace, enterprises need teams that can move beyond buzzwords and apply AI tools with practical fluency. This credential validates your foundational AI knowledge—from understanding core concepts to using tools responsibly—so you can contribute to AI-driven initiatives with confidence.
The program covers five core modules: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, Everyday AI Tools and Use Cases, Building Blocks of AI, Prompt Crafting for Effective AI Interactions, and AI Ethics and Responsible AI. Through 23 hands-on labs, you will build practical skills in using AI tools, crafting effective prompts, and applying ethical principles. AIE is for students, IT professionals, non-IT workers, educators, entrepreneurs, and anyone who wants to thrive in an AI-driven world.
Who it’s for
The AIE certification is for a broad audience: students and early learners building AI literacy, IT professionals and engineers seeking to complement their technical expertise, non-IT working professionals in business, operations, marketing, healthcare, or finance, educators and trainers integrating AI into teaching, entrepreneurs and decision-makers using AI responsibly, and general enthusiasts developing AI confidence for everyday life and career applications. It is also valuable for analysts, project and operations managers who want to leverage AI in planning and decision-making, and HR, L&D, and people professionals who need to understand AI concepts for workforce planning and learning.
Recommended experience
No specific technical background is required; the program is designed for all skill levels, from beginners to experienced professionals. Familiarity with using computers and common software applications; An interest in learning how AI tools work and how to apply them responsibly; No prior programming or data science experience is necessary
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective EC-Council measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official EC-Council exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- Similarities and differences between human and artificial intelligence
- How data, algorithms, and models form AI foundations
- Major milestones in AI evolution
- Recent advancements and future directions in AI
Everyday AI Tools and Use Cases
- Common AI technologies in daily life
- AI tools in workplace workflows
- AI in manufacturing and industrial processes
- AI applications in transportation safety and efficiency
- AI in personalized learning and feedback
- AI for security threat detection
Building Blocks of AI
- The role of data in effective AI systems
- Different AI models and development processes
- Machine learning and neural networks
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)
- Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs)
- Tool selection based on AI project requirements
Prompt Crafting for Effective AI Interactions
- Basics of prompt engineering
- Crafting effective prompts
- Prompt engineering techniques
AI Ethics and Responsible AI
- Ethical, societal, and security concerns in AI
- Principles of ethical and fair AI use
- Responsible practices and governance standards
- Global AI regulations and policies
On the day
The exam itself
Everything EC-Council publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
CertificationEC-Council Artificial Intelligence Essentials
Exam formatMultiple choice
DeliveryPearson VUE
LanguagesEnglish
PricingUS $299
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path EC-Council lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to EC-Council Artificial Intelligence Essentials
Credential earnedEC-Council Artificial Intelligence Essentials Certification Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. EC-Council maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by EC-Council
Exam registration
Register for the exam through Pearson VUE, EC-Council’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official EC-Council certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does the AIE certification relate to other EC-Council AI certifications?
AIE is an entry-level credential in EC-Council's AI security and management track. It establishes baseline AI literacy and can serve as a foundation before pursuing advanced certifications such as Certified AI Program Manager (C|AIPM), Certified Offensive AI Security Professional (C|OASP), or Certified Responsible AI Governance & Ethics (C|RAGE).
Is there a hands-on lab component in the AIE program?
Yes. The AIE program includes 23 hands-on labs where you build and test practical skills in AI tools, prompts, automation, ethics, and security.
What job roles does the AIE credential map to?
AIE is designed for a broad range of roles across industries, including students, IT professionals, non-IT working professionals, educators, entrepreneurs, analysts, project managers, and HR professionals. It validates AI literacy and practical AI skills applicable to any role.
Can I take the AIE exam online?
Yes. EC-Council offers testing options both online and at test centers through Pearson VUE, allowing you to choose the most convenient format.
What are the identification requirements for the AIE exam?
You must present a valid government-issued photo ID that matches the name on your registration at check-in, whether testing online or at a test center.
Is there a retake policy for the AIE exam?
EC-Council generally allows retakes, but specific waiting periods and policies for AIE are not published on the official page. Check with EC-Council or Pearson VUE for the current retake policy.
Does the AIE certification require renewal?
EC-Council certifications require renewal through continuing education credits. Specific renewal requirements for AIE are not detailed on the official page, so contact EC-Council for the most current information.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 1023 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept EC-Council measures — each one written out.
5domains
23objectives
149concepts
215free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official EC-Council exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Introduction to Artificial Intelligence172 questions
Similarities and differences between human and artificial intelligence10 concepts · 10 pagesOpen →How data, algorithms, and models form AI foundations4 concepts · 9 pagesOpen →Major milestones in AI evolution4 concepts · 8 pagesOpen →Recent advancements and future directions in AI3 concepts · 9 pagesOpen →
2Everyday AI Tools and Use Cases285 questions
Common AI technologies in daily life15 concepts · 13 pagesOpen →AI tools in workplace workflows4 concepts · 8 pagesOpen →AI in manufacturing and industrial processes8 concepts · 11 pagesOpen →AI applications in transportation safety and efficiency6 concepts · 10 pagesOpen →AI in personalized learning and feedback5 concepts · 9 pagesOpen →AI for security threat detection4 concepts · 9 pagesOpen →
3Building Blocks of AI252 questions
The role of data in effective AI systems7 concepts · 9 pagesOpen →Different AI models and development processes4 concepts · 8 pagesOpen →Machine learning and neural networks8 concepts · 10 pagesOpen →Natural Language Processing (NLP)5 concepts · 8 pagesOpen →Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs)8 concepts · 9 pagesOpen →Tool selection based on AI project requirements8 concepts · 9 pagesOpen →
4Prompt Crafting for Effective AI Interactions125 questions
5AI Ethics and Responsible AI189 questions
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Similarities and differences between human and artificial intelligence10 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
50 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
1023 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
1023questions
215pages
23objectives
Freealways
Start anywhereSimilarities and differences between human and artificial intelligence 50 questions · 10 pages
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Introduction to Artificial Intelligence172 questions
2Everyday AI Tools and Use Cases285 questions
3Building Blocks of AI252 questions
4Prompt Crafting for Effective AI Interactions125 questions
5AI Ethics and Responsible AI189 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
149concepts
1023free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from EC-Council
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
2official links
149concepts mapped
The source
EC-Council’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official EC-Council outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 23 objectives, 149 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When EC-Council changes the outline, this page changes with it.
23objectives on the outline→149concepts written→1023free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.