Everything About Questions That Define the AI Era

Good questions open the door to conversations once closed and are the most powerful tool that helps us grow when we are stuck.

• Through this article, we will understand why we lost the instinct to ask questions.
• You will learn specific questioning techniques that drive relationships and growth.
• You will discover how questions become our greatest competitive advantage in the AI era.

Why did we lose the instinct to ask questions?

Young children constantly ask “Why is this like this?”, “Why is the sky blue?” Humans are inherently questioning beings, but as we grow up, we gradually stop asking questions. Where did all that curiosity go?

Curiosity: The instinct that makes the brain dance

According to neuroscience, when we feel curiosity, our brain releases dopamine, which is responsible for pleasure and motivation. In other words, the act of questioning and learning itself is a ‘reward’ and ‘pleasure’ for the brain. Stopping questioning is like voluntarily giving up this enjoyable play that the brain loves most. Restarting questioning is reclaiming lost intellectual pleasure and awakening the dormant brain.

The first step to growth: “What do I not know?”

The ancient philosopher Socrates emphasized the wisdom of “knowing what you do not know,” or ’the knowledge of ignorance.’ All true knowledge begins with the awareness of not knowing.

However, today we easily fall into the ‘illusion of knowledge’ by instantly getting answers through internet searches. The ‘Google effect’ makes us rely on external information whenever needed, reducing the need for deep thinking. This is one of the main reasons we stopped questioning. The first step to asking truly good questions is to turn off the internet for a moment and courageously face the state of ’not knowing.’

Specific techniques to create good questions

Good questions are not innate but a skill developed through learning and practice. Mastering a few key techniques can completely transform the quality of your conversations and thinking.

The difference between ‘closed questions’ and ‘open questions’

Closed questions end with ‘yes/no’ or short answers, like “Did you have lunch?” They are useful for fact-checking but can easily cut off conversation.

In contrast, open questions encourage the other person to freely share their thoughts and feelings, such as “What was the most fun thing at school today?” They open hearts, build deeper relationships, and have the powerful ability to uncover unexpected new information. I used to ask only closed questions like “What do you usually do on weekends?” at blind dates, often resulting in awkward silences. But when I switched to open questions like “What was your most enjoyable weekend recently, and what did you do then?” the other person enthusiastically shared their experiences, making the conversation much richer.

The universal tool for mapping thoughts: 5W1H

Who, When, Where, What, Why, How. The 5W1H principle is the most systematic questioning tool to organize complex thoughts and grasp the essence of problems. Even vague weekend travel plans become surprisingly concrete projects when you start by asking “What is the purpose of this trip? (Why)” and proceed through the 5W1H questions in order. Thus, 5W1H is a powerful questioning method that systematically develops thinking and maps out problem-solving.

The ‘attitude’ of questioning: genuine curiosity

Equally important as what questions you ask is the attitude with which you ask them. Avoid ’teacher-like questions’ that test the other person or ‘accusatory questions’ like “Why are you always like that?” The core of good questions lies in genuine curiosity. It is important to listen sincerely to the other’s story and to fully pay attention after asking the question.

Life question catalog to use immediately by situation

When you want deeper relationships

• “What has been making you happiest or made you laugh the most recently?”
• “Among the things you’ve done this year, is there something you’d like to praise yourself for, saying ‘I really did well’?”
• “If you could pass on only one lesson learned in life to the next generation, what would it be?”

When you want to find a breakthrough to a problem

• “Is the problem we are trying to solve really the ‘real problem’? What is the essence of this problem?”
• “If my wise 90-year-old self were to advise my current self, what would they say about this problem?”
• “How would this problem look if viewed from the completely opposite perspective? For example, what if this problem is actually an ‘opportunity’?”

When you want to meet the real ‘you’

• “If I were completely free from money, time, and others’ opinions, what would I be doing right now?”
• “What are the three most important values in my life, and how close was my day today to those values?”
• “If I look back at today from 10 years later, what would I regret not having done?”

Comparison / Alternatives

Checklist or Step-by-Step Guide

Enhancing Competitiveness with Questions in the AI Era

With the emergence of generative AI like ChatGPT, the way we handle knowledge is fundamentally changing. Answers have become common resources, and the ability to ask the right questions has become the true competitive edge.

Asking good questions to AI is like giving a chef a detailed recipe. A vague request like “Make me delicious food” yields ordinary results, but a specific recipe like “Make aglio e olio pasta with plenty of garlic and add spiciness with peperoncino” creates an excellent dish. Here are 5 steps of prompt engineering to make AI your excellent ’thinking partner.’

1. Assign a role: Giving AI a specific identity like “You are a brand marketer with 20 years of experience” changes the professionalism of the output.
2. Provide detailed context: Explain background information as thoroughly as possible, e.g., “Plan a 2-night, 3-day surfing trip to Yangyang, Gangwon-do, for an active couple in their 30s with a budget under 500,000 KRW.”
3. Specify desired output format: Clearly request output format, e.g., “Summarize the discussion so far in a table,” or “Explain in a casual tone as if talking to a close friend.”
4. Show examples: Providing good examples like “Write a poem similar in tone to the example below [insert example poem]” helps AI better learn your preferences.
5. Develop through conversation: Don’t try to ask perfect questions at once; improve output quality by following up with additional questions based on AI’s answers.

Conclusion

Questions go beyond simply seeking answers. When we truly understand and utilize the value of questions, our lives can become broader and deeper.

• Key point 1: Questions are a pleasurable play our brain instinctively pursues, and awareness of ‘I do not know’ is the starting point of all growth.
• Key point 2: Mastering techniques like ‘open questions’ and 5W1H can dramatically improve the quality of conversations and thinking.
• Key point 3: In the AI era, competitiveness comes not from finding answers but from creating valuable questions.

Your world will expand as much as the size and depth of the questions you ask. Closing this article, what is the first question you want to ask today?