AI-102 Plan and manage an Azure AI solution Practice Question
Which TWO actions are valid ways to authenticate to Azure AI services?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse managed identities as a direct authentication method for Azure AI services, when in fact they are an identity provisioning mechanism that requires an additional token exchange step to authenticate via Entra ID.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use an API key.
Azure AI services accept API keys as a straightforward authentication method. Each service generates a pair of keys that must be included in the `Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key` header of HTTP requests. Option C is correct because Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) authentication with a service principal is fully supported for Azure AI services, allowing token-based authentication via the `Authorization` header with a bearer token obtained from the Microsoft identity platform.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a client certificate.
Why it's wrong here
Azure AI services do not support certificate authentication directly.
- ✓
Use an API key.
Why this is correct
API keys are a common authentication method.
- ✓
Use Microsoft Entra ID authentication with a service principal.
Why this is correct
Microsoft Entra ID authentication is supported.
- ✗
Use a shared access signature (SAS) token.
Why it's wrong here
SAS tokens are for Azure Storage, not AI services.
- ✗
Use a managed identity.
Why it's wrong here
Managed identity is a type of Microsoft Entra ID authentication, not a separate method.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AI-102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AI-102 exam.