Is certification the same as the free course named Level 1?
The free course is for learning. Certification is a decision AIR APAC makes about a person, from a separate Assessment. This page explains the difference between the two, and how a person becomes certified. The course is named Level 1.
Judgment is how well a person decides once AI has given the answer. AIRS-J/1 is the standard AIR APAC publishes for judgment in AI-enabled work.
The short answer is no. The free course is there to learn from. Certification is a decision AIR APAC makes about a person, from a separate Assessment under AIRS-J/1. The answers below explain the difference, and how a person becomes certified. The course is named Level 1.
What is Level 1?
Level 1, AI Fluency, is a free course from AIR Academy, AIR APAC's learning division (AIRS-J/1 Section 4.9). The Level 1 page says the videos are "free to anyone, permanently, with no account." The page also says who the course was made for.
What is certification?
Certification is AIR APAC's decision about a person under Section 12 of AIRS-J/1. It comes only from an Assessment. This is a session on scenarios kept back from every course and from practice (Section 9.3). It is scored by published rules from what the person did. All six decision rules must be met. Among them, none of the nine dimensions may be below 2.0. The confidence, which describes how much evidence there is, must be Moderate or High.
Is "Level 1" the same as Level 1 on the Standard's scale?
No. The Standard scores each observation in an Assessment from 0 to 4. On that scale, Level 1 is "Emerging": "The behaviour appeared partially, late, or only after prompting" (Section 7). The course and the scale share a number, and nothing else. A level on that scale comes only from an Assessment (Section 20.3).
Does finishing the free course give me an AIRS-J/1 credential?
No. The page for the course says it "does not assess anyone." It also says what a learner receives. An AIRS-J/1 credential comes only from a certifying Assessment. The Standard says: "Certification needs a separate Assessment on held-back scenarios" (Section 20.2).
Does the free course count towards certification?
No. The page for the course says that nothing from it enters certification. The Standard sets the same rule for a record of completion. It "carries no level, band or confidence, is not an AIRS-J/1 credential, and confers nothing toward certification" (Section 20.2).
Do I need the free course before I can be certified?
No. The Standard says: "A candidate may present for assessment without prior training" (Section 4.3). A person may take the course first, take an Assessment first, do both, or do neither.
Will the free course make me more likely to become certified?
AIR APAC makes no claim that it does. The Standard does not allow a trainer to say or imply that attendance raises the chance of becoming certified (Section 20.2). "Certification outcomes are decided by the rules in Section 12 alone" (Section 4.3). The course is there to learn from. A record of completion carries no level, band or confidence (Section 20.2).
Is the free course the facilitator certification?
No. AIR APAC certifies facilitators under AIRS-J/1 Section 20.6, for trainers who run sessions on the instrument AIR APAC names for Assessments. It is not a judgment credential. It carries no level, band or confidence, and it is not convertible to or from a certification under Section 12. The free course is neither of these, and it is not a certification of either kind.
Can I use what I learn in my work after I finish?
Yes, as learning. The page for the course describes what the course covers. The course does not assess anyone, so it gives no reading of how a person decides. Only an Assessment gives a result under the Standard.
Should a manager ask a team to take the free course, or to become certified?
The two meet different needs. The course is learning, and it is free. Certification comes from an Assessment of how a person decides, and the credential belongs to the person (Section 14.4). Where an employer commissions Assessments, Section 12.6 sets what it receives, and the decision about the person stays the employer's.
How do I get certified?
Read the certification rules on the certification page, and register for an Assessment from there. Certification is open. Fees are confirmed at registration. Verification is free.
What this does not claim
This page does not say that Level 1 prepares anyone for an Assessment, or that it raises or lowers a result. It does not describe what the course covers, who it is for or how it runs; the Level 1 page does. It does not state a fee for certification. It does not describe an Assessment in full; the certification rules do.
AIR APAC publishes the standard for judgment in AI-enabled work, certifies people against it through its official instrument, and stands behind every result.