AI Secrets Challenge Review (2026)

Disclosure: this review contains affiliate links. If you register through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change the score.

The pitch sounds like every other AI event: five days, live training, learn how the pros use AI to grow a business. What made us actually register is who’s running it. Russell Brunson and Todd Dickerson built ClickFunnels, a software company that has processed over $12 billion in customer transactions, and the challenge teaches the AI systems they run inside that company.

The seat is free. The catch, as always with free events, is in the upgrade path. Both are covered below.

What the AI Secrets Challenge is

A live, five-day virtual event. One session per day, each built around a specific AI system rather than general theory:

• Day 1 — the overall AI playbook: where AI actually replaces work in a real business, and where it doesn’t
• Day 2 — using AI on your offer and positioning, the thinking work most people assume AI can’t do
• Day 3 — the one-person marketing machine: content, emails, and ads produced by one operator with AI doing the heavy lifting
• Day 4 — a live software build. Todd Dickerson ships a working no-code app during the session, which is worth watching even if you never build software
• Day 5 — AI side hustles: ways to sell the skills from days 1–4 even without your own product

The format is build-along, not lecture. You’re expected to have a laptop open and leave each day with something installed and running. That’s the main difference from the dozens of AI “summits” that hand you a replay vault you never open.

What the free seat gets you (and doesn’t)

The free registration gets you all five live sessions. No credit card required — we checked, because that’s usually where free events cheat.

What it doesn’t get you is replays. Sessions run live, and on the free tier a missed session is simply gone. If your timezone or schedule makes live attendance unrealistic, factor that in before you plan your week around it.

The VIP catch, explained plainly

VIP unlocks replays, backstage sessions, and the recordings after the event ends. Here’s the part worth slowing down for: VIP is free if you claim it with the MarketingSecrets.AI 14-day trial.

MarketingSecrets.AI is Brunson’s AI software (we scored it separately in our MarketingSecrets.AI review). The trial costs nothing for 14 days, and starting it upgrades your challenge seat to VIP. After the trial it converts to $97/month unless you cancel.

So the real decision is not “should I pay for VIP” — it’s “will I remember to cancel a trial.” Set the reminder for the day before the trial ends when you claim it, and VIP is genuinely free. Forget, and your free challenge cost you $97. That’s the whole game.

Who this is for

Worth your five days if:

• You run (or are starting) an online business and want AI systems installed, not explained
• You learn by building along, and can attend live
• You want to see how a large software company actually deploys AI internally

Skip it if:

• You can’t make the live sessions and don’t want to touch the VIP trial
• You’re an advanced AI operator — the ceiling here is intermediate
• You dislike event funnels: this is still a funnel, and there are pitches

Our verdict

4.6 / 5. As a free product it’s hard to beat: real operators, live teaching, and a build-along format that leaves you with working systems. It loses points for the no-replay free tier and a pace that will lose complete beginners. Go in with the trial-cancel reminder already set and you’ll extract the full value at zero cost.

If you’re comparing it against paid alternatives first, our AI Agents Course review covers a $997 program aimed at a similar audience — useful contrast for what “free” does and doesn’t get you.

FAQ

Is the AI Secrets Challenge really free?

Yes. The live seat is free and doesn’t require a card. Replays and backstage content require VIP, which is bundled free with the MarketingSecrets.AI 14-day trial (the trial converts to $97/month if not cancelled).

Who teaches it?

Russell Brunson and Todd Dickerson, the co-founders of ClickFunnels. Sessions are live, not pre-recorded.

Do I need technical skills?

No. Day 4’s software build is no-code, and the rest of the week is tool-driven. The pace is quick, though — beginners should plan to use VIP replays.

Is there an upsell?

Yes — the VIP upgrade via the MarketingSecrets.AI trial, and offers during the event. The free tier’s content stands on its own if you attend live.