Since AI surpasses humans in learning ability, logical analysis, and information integration, do we still need to ask good questions?

Absolutely, and it's more important than ever.

You can think of AI as a super-powerful "navigator."

This navigator knows all the roads in the world, can calculate ten thousand ways to get from Beijing to New York in a second, and can tell you which route is the fastest, the most economical, or the most scenic. Its computational and information integration capabilities are unmatched by any human driver.

However, this navigator has a "fatal" flaw: it doesn't know where you want to go.

If you just tell it, "Go!", it won't know what to do at all.

You must give it a clear destination. That's what a "good question" is.

• A bad question is like telling the navigator, "I want to go somewhere fun." It might recommend the nearest park, but what you actually wanted was a resort with mountains and water where you could stay for a week. The result would be completely different from your expectations.

• A good question is like telling the navigator, "Find me a resort within a 3-hour drive, rated 4.5 or higher, suitable for kids and pets, and with a lake view." You see, the more specific and clear the question, the more precise and valuable the answer the navigator gives you.

AI is the same. It possesses vast knowledge and powerful analytical capabilities, but it has no "intentions" or "goals" of its own. It relies entirely on the direction we set for it.

Therefore, in the age of AI, our role has changed. We no longer need to spend a lot of time memorizing knowledge or processing information (these are things the "navigator" excels at). Our core value has become that of the person who sets the destination.

• Asking good questions is about setting direction. What problem do you want to solve? What are your goals? AI cannot decide these for you.
• Asking good questions is about digging deeper. Faced with AI's initial answers, can you ask follow-up questions that yield more insightful information? For example, "What are the potential risks of solution A that you just mentioned? Would it be more effective if combined with solution B?"
• Asking good questions is about sparking innovation. Truly disruptive ideas often begin with an unprecedented good question. For example, "Can we create a packaging material that is both environmentally friendly and edible?" This question itself points AI towards a new direction of exploration that requires creative information integration.

Simply put, AI is the hammer, and we are the artisan who decides where to strike the nail. No matter how powerful the hammer, it needs an artisan to decide "where to strike" and "why to strike." In the future, the value a person can create will largely depend not on how much they know, but on how well they can ask questions.