Microsoft 365 Certified AI Services Administrator Associate (AB-650)

Microsoft 365 Certified AI Services Administrator Associate (AB-650) 

The Microsoft 365 Certified: AI Services Administrator Associate certification validates the ability to administer Microsoft 365 and AI services while maintaining security, compliance, governance, and operational efficiency. The certification requires candidates to pass one examination: AB-650: Administering Microsoft 365 and AI Services. Microsoft currently lists the certification and exam as beta. The role combines traditional Microsoft 365 administration with the administration and governance of emerging AI capabilities.

Skills Acquired

As an AI Services Administrator, you may be responsible for:

• Configuring Microsoft 365 tenants
• Managing Microsoft 365 workloads
• Administering users, groups, and roles
• Managing Microsoft Entra ID
• Configuring authentication and Conditional Access
• Securing Microsoft 365 workloads
• Managing Microsoft Purview protection and compliance capabilities
• Preparing an organization for Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Managing Copilot experiences and settings
• Administering AI agents
• Managing Agent 365
• Monitoring AI usage, adoption, costs, and service health

Who Should Take This Course?

The AB-650 preparation course is suitable for professionals working with Microsoft 365 administration, security, identity, compliance, and AI services.

Recommended for:

• Microsoft 365 Administrators
• Microsoft 365 Cloud Administrators
• AI Services Administrators
• Microsoft 365 Support Engineers
• Cloud Administrators
• Identity and Access Administrators
• Security Administrators
• Microsoft 365 Consultants
• IT Infrastructure Professionals
• Cloud and Systems Engineers
• IT Governance and Compliance Professionals
• Microsoft Copilot Administrators
• AI Governance Professionals
• Technical Professionals transitioning into AI administration

Recommended Skills and Experience

Microsoft recommends that candidates have experience with Microsoft 365 workloads and Microsoft Entra ID, understand Microsoft Defender XDR capabilities, and have familiarity with Microsoft Graph PowerShell.

Before starting your AB-650 preparation, you should ideally understand:

• Microsoft 365 administration fundamentals
• Microsoft Entra ID
• Users and groups
• Microsoft 365 roles and permissions
• Authentication and access management
• Microsoft Teams
• SharePoint and OneDrive
• Microsoft Defender
• Microsoft Purview
• Basic PowerShell
• Microsoft Graph concepts
• Cloud security and compliance fundamentals
• Microsoft Copilot fundamentals

Microsoft AB-650 Course Outline

The current Microsoft exam is divided into three major skill areas. The largest section focuses on governing and securing Microsoft 365, while AI services account for up to 40% of the examination.

Domain 1: Configure and Manage Microsoft 365 Tenants and Workloads (20–25%)

• 1.1 Configure and Manage a Microsoft 365 Tenant
• 1.2 Manage Microsoft 365 Workloads

Domain 2: Govern and Secure Microsoft 365 Tenants and Workloads (40–45%)

• 2.1 Manage Identities in Microsoft Entra
• 2.2 Implement and Manage Authentication and Access
• 2.3 Secure Microsoft 365 Workloads
• 2.4 Protect Data with Microsoft Purview

Domain 3: Manage and Secure AI Services in Microsoft 36 (35–40%)

• 3.1 Enable and Manage Microsoft 365 Copilot
• 3.2 Implement and Manage Agents in Microsoft 365 and Agent 365
• 3.3 Secure and Govern Agents Using Agent 365
• 3.4 Monitor AI Services in Microsoft 365

Career Opportunities

The skills covered by AB-650 can support career opportunities across Microsoft 365 administration, cloud administration, identity, security, compliance, and AI operations.

Potential roles include:

• Microsoft 365 Administrator
• AI Services Administrator
• Microsoft 365 Cloud Administrator
• Microsoft 365 Support Engineer
• Cloud Administrator
• Identity and Access Administrator
• Microsoft 365 Security Administrator
• Microsoft Copilot Administrator
• AI Governance Administrator
• Cloud and Systems Administrator
• Microsoft 365 Consultant
• AI Operations Specialist

The certification itself is associated with the Administrator job role.