AI Governance Certifications Compared (2026)

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AIGP, AAISM, AAIA, CPMAI, ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer and AIMP: which AI certification fits your role?Six credentials, six different jobs. Who each is for, what it assesses, how the exam works, what it costs to earn and to keep, and which free options exist, using each issuer's own published information, checked October 17, 2026.
IAIM Editorial · Last reviewed October 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

In short: AIGP (IAPP) is for AI governance and privacy professionals; AAIA (ISACA) is for auditors who already hold an audit credential; AAISM (ISACA) is for security managers who already hold CISM or CISSP; PMI-CPMAI (PMI) is for people running AI projects; ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer (here in PECB's version) is for people building an AI management system to the standard; AIMP (IAIM) is for managers accountable for AI in the business. IAIM publishes this page and issues AIMP. IAIM, established in 2023, is a young independent institute; the IAPP, ISACA and PMI are large professional associations with long histories, and PECB is a certification body for ISO-standard training and personnel certification.

Who each is for

Six credentials at a glance.

Credential	Issuer	Built for	What it assesses	Entry requirement	Published price
AIMP Artificial Intelligence Management Professional	IAIM	Managers accountable for AI in a function or organization	Twelve modules from strategy and agents to law, risk, vendors, implementation and measurement; a reviewed capstone plan; a 50-question exam, 80% to pass	None	$695 ($595 for Members)
AIGP Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional	IAPP	Professionals in any industry responsible for AI governance¹	Foundations of AI systems and their impacts, how laws apply to AI, the AI life cycle and AI risk management, emerging governance issues¹	None stated on the IAPP's AIGP page; see the IAPP candidate handbook	Exam $649 for IAPP members, $799 for non-members²
AAIA Advanced in AI Audit	ISACA	Experienced IT auditors and advisors who assess or audit AI systems	AI governance and risk (33%), AI operations (46%), AI auditing tools and techniques (21%)⁵	An active CISA, CIA, US CPA or another listed audit or accounting designation⁴	Exam US$459 for members, US$599 for non-members, plus a US$50 application fee⁴
AAISM Advanced in AI Security Management	ISACA	IT security professionals who secure enterprise AI systems and use AI in security operations⁷	AI governance and program management (31%), AI risk management (31%), AI technologies and controls (38%)⁸	An active CISM or CISSP⁷	Exam US$459 for members, US$599 for non-members, plus a US$50 application fee⁷
PMI-CPMAI PMI Certified Professional in Managing AI	PMI	Project managers, technologists, data experts and consultants who deliver AI projects¹⁰	The six-phase CPMAI methodology, from matching AI to business needs and data preparation to testing and operationalizing AI¹⁰	Be at least 18 and complete PMI's 21-hour exam prep course; no experience required¹⁰	$899, or $699 for PMI members, for the prep course and certification bundle¹⁰
ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer (PECB)	PECB	People overseeing AI projects, AI management system implementation teams, consultants and managers deciding on AI implementation¹²	Implementing and managing an AI management system based on ISO/IEC 42001, across six competency domains¹²	General knowledge of ISO/IEC 42001 for the course; the Lead Implementer title needs five years of experience, two in AI management, and 300 hours of project work¹⁴	Not published by PECB; training partners set the course price, which includes the exam and certification fees¹²

Prices and requirements change; each issuer's page is the authority. Other training bodies sell ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer courses with their own exams and prices; PECB's is shown because its rules are published in full. Sources at the foot of this page.

Exam, renewal and total cost

What it takes to earn each one, and to keep it.

Credential	Term	Exam format	Delivery	Maintenance and renewal	Total published cost
AIMP	1 year	50 questions in 90 minutes, 80% to pass, 3 attempts, after a reviewed capstone plan	Online	Annual renewal course ending in a 50-question exam, $149 a year; no CPE log	$695 ($595 for Members) for the first year, then $149 a year
AIGP	2 years	100 questions in 2.75 hours with a 15-minute break²	Pearson VUE test center, or online from home or office²	20 continuing education credits and a $250 maintenance fee every two years; the fee is covered by IAPP membership³	Non-members: $799 for the exam and first two-year term, then $250 every two years. Members: $649, with the fee covered by membership (membership dues not included)²
AAIA	Annual, in 3-year CPE cycles	90 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes; scaled 200 to 800, 450 to pass⁵	PSI test centers or remote proctoring⁴	At least 10 CPE hours a year and 30 over three years; annual fee US$20 for members, US$35 for non-members, due by 1 January⁶	Non-members: $649 for exam and application, then $35 a year. Members: $509, then $20 a year. The prerequisite credential and ISACA membership are extra
AAISM	Annual, in 3-year CPE cycles	90 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes; scaled 200 to 800, 450 to pass⁸	PSI test centers or remote proctoring⁷	At least 10 CPE hours a year and 30 over three years; annual fee US$20 for members, US$35 for non-members, due by 1 January⁹	Non-members: $649 for exam and application, then $35 a year. Members: $509, then $20 a year. CISM or CISSP and ISACA membership are extra
PMI-CPMAI	3 years	120 questions in 160 minutes¹⁰	Not stated on PMI's certification page	30 professional development units every three years, plus a renewal fee whose amount PMI's maintenance page does not state¹¹	$899 ($699 for PMI members) for the 21-hour prep course and certification; renewal fee not published on the pages checked¹⁰
ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer (PECB)	3 years	80 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, open book, 70% to pass; one free retake within 12 months¹³¹⁴	Online through the PECB Exams app with remote invigilation, or on paper¹⁴	90 CPD hours and a $390 maintenance fee per three-year cycle for Lead credentials¹⁵	Course price not published by PECB (it includes exam and certification); then $390 per three-year cycle¹²¹⁵

Totals use the issuers' list prices on October 17, 2026 and exclude taxes, membership dues, training you choose to buy and the cost of any prerequisite credential. US dollars throughout.

Free and low-cost options (checked October 17, 2026): the IAPP publishes a free AIGP study guide that covers the exam format and includes sample questions¹. PMI offers a free "Introduction: PMI-CPMAI" eLearning preview of the certification path¹⁰. Harvard's CS50 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python can be taken free through its OpenCourseWare site; the verified certificate is a paid option through edX¹⁶. The NIST AI Risk Management Framework and its Playbook, the reference that several of these exams draw on, are published for voluntary use and can be downloaded at no charge¹⁷. IAIM's own guides to AI regulation, AI governance and the AI Management Office are free and ungated. None of these free resources is a certification; they are the cheapest way to find out whether you want one.

Choosing

Start from the job you do.

You own AI decisions in a business function

Choose a credential that covers value, delivery and governance together, and that asks you to apply it to your own organization. That is what AIMP assesses through its capstone plan.

You lead governance, privacy or legal review

AIGP's body of knowledge centers on law, the AI life cycle and risk management, and the IAPP is the reference association for privacy professionals.

You audit AI systems

AAIA is built for auditors who already hold CISA, CIA, a CPA or a similar designation, and extends that audit practice to AI.

You secure AI systems

AAISM is built for security managers who already hold CISM or CISSP. Its three domains are AI governance and program management, AI risk management, and AI technologies and controls.

You run AI projects

PMI-CPMAI teaches a six-phase project methodology for AI and data work, alongside PMI's other project management credentials, and needs no prior experience.

You are implementing ISO/IEC 42001

A Lead Implementer course teaches how to build and run an AI management system to the standard. The certificate is personal; certification of the management system itself is a separate, organizational process. See ISO/IEC 42001: build, then certify.

Two common questions

AIGP or AAISM? ISO/IEC 42001 or AIMP?

AIGP vs AAISM. People search for these two together, but they sit on different tracks. AIGP is open to anyone and tests governance knowledge: how AI systems work, which laws apply, how the AI life cycle and risk management fit together. AAISM is gated behind CISM or CISSP and tests how a security leader governs, risks and controls AI in an enterprise. The exams are also different shapes: 100 questions in 2.75 hours for AIGP, 90 in 150 minutes for AAISM. Without CISM or CISSP, AAISM is not open to you, and the choice is between AIGP and a management credential such as AIMP.

ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer vs AIMP. The Lead Implementer course is about the standard: clauses, controls, documentation and the audit that follows. It suits the person whose job is to build the management system. AIMP is about the manager's decisions around AI: which use cases, what value, which vendors, what risk, how to govern agents and measure results. An organization pursuing ISO/IEC 42001 certification can use both, in different seats; one that is not pursuing the standard still needs the second.

Where AIMP sits. AIMP has no prerequisite, a one-year term and an annual renewal course instead of a CPE log. It is issued by a young institute, not an association with decades of history, and its exam is shorter than the others on this page. What it adds is the capstone: a plan for AI in your own organization, reviewed against a published standard, which none of the other five requires.

Questions

Comparing credentials.

Is AIMP an alternative to AIGP?

They overlap but aim at different jobs. AIGP, from the IAPP, centers on AI governance, law and the AI life cycle and suits privacy, legal and governance professionals. AIMP centers on the manager who is accountable for AI in the business: strategy and value, agents, governance frameworks, law, risk, vendors, implementation and measurement, assessed partly through a capstone plan for your own organization.

What is the difference between AIGP and AAISM?

AIGP (IAPP) is a governance credential open to anyone, with a 100-question exam on AI foundations, law, the AI life cycle and risk. AAISM (ISACA) is a security credential for people who already hold an active CISM or CISSP, with a 90-question exam on AI governance and program management, AI risk management and AI technologies and controls. Governance program: AIGP. Securing enterprise AI with a security credential in hand: AAISM.

Is ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer a personal certification?

Yes. An organization's AI management system is certified by a certification body; the Lead Implementer credential is a personal certificate for the people who build that system. PECB's version is a five-day course, an 80-question open-book exam and, for the Lead Implementer title, five years of experience including two in AI management. AIMP, by contrast, is for the manager accountable for AI outcomes whether or not the organization pursues the standard.

Which AI certification is best for managers?

For a manager who owns AI decisions in a function, a credential that covers value, delivery and governance together fits best; that is the gap AIMP was built for. For a governance or privacy role, AIGP; for auditors, ISACA's AAIA; for security managers, ISACA's AAISM; for people running AI projects, PMI's CPMAI; for people implementing an AI management system to the standard, an ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer course.

How much does an AI governance certification cost?

On the issuers' published prices (October 17, 2026): AIGP $799, or $649 for IAPP members; AAIA and AAISM $599 (members $459) plus a $50 application fee; PMI-CPMAI $899 ($699 for members) including the prep course; ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer is priced by PECB's training partners, not by PECB; AIMP $695 ($595 for IAIM Members). Renewal costs are in the second table above.

Can I hold more than one?

Yes. They test different things, and several roles benefit from two, for example AIMP for the business owner of an AI program and AIGP, AAIA or AAISM for the specialist reviewing or securing it.

AIGP, AAISM, AAIA, CPMAI, ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer and AIMP: which AI certification fits your role?