How do founders validate a startup idea with AI in a weekend?

Treat AI as a fast research assistant, not the judge. On day one, have ChatGPT or Claude turn your idea into testable assumptions, competitor lists, search terms, and interview questions, then check those against real signals like Google Trends, Reddit complaints, and community posts. On day two, ship a landing page smoke test with an AI page builder and get it in front of real people, because AI compresses the desk work so your weekend goes into collecting real user evidence.

A quick orientation. The real value is below: resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it.