A weekend is plenty of time for this, as long as you split it right. Here's how I'd structure it if someone handed me two free days and said "figure this out."
Saturday morning, ten minutes: open an AI tool and ask it one real, low-stakes question — a definition, a recipe substitution, anything with no pressure attached. Saturday afternoon, ten more minutes: try something slightly more useful, like drafting a short message you've been avoiding. That's Saturday done — two real interactions, no homework.
Sunday, do the same shape but raise the stakes slightly. Morning: ask it to help you think through an actual decision you're facing, comparing two real options. Afternoon: try correcting a response on purpose — ask for something shorter, or in a different tone — just to feel how natural that back-and-forth is.
By Sunday night, you've had four real conversations with the tool, spread across two low-pressure days, each one slightly more ambitious than the last. That's a genuinely complete beginner foundation, and it cost you about forty minutes total.
If you'd rather have that weekend guided instead of self-designed, On Ramp AI's first few lessons follow almost exactly this shape. Here's where to start.