[Insight & Opinion] In the Age of AI, True Competitiveness Lies in the Ability to Ask Questions

AI Has Become a General-Purpose Technology
Developing the Power to Grasp the Essence Is Essential

"I've used it so much that I sometimes worry I'm becoming too dependent on artificial intelligence (AI)."

This is what three university students currently taking my AI class said in unison this semester. Not a single student out of more than 20 last semester expressed the same concern. This marks a significant change in just half a year.

Like language, the wheel, the printing press, automobiles, and the internet, AI is also a general-purpose technology. Paradoxically, general-purpose technologies quickly become taken for granted. AI is no exception. We are no longer surprised by the various powerful generative AI tools available today. Technologies that felt magical just two or three years ago have now become a familiar part of our daily lives. These days, it is difficult to find someone around us who does not use AI. Consulting AI for help has become routine. Just as we feel uneasy without our smartphones, people will undoubtedly feel lost if they are suddenly unable to use AI in the future.

Thanks to AI, individuals and organizations are now experiencing remarkable speed, convenience, progress, and innovation in almost every intellectual activity. Humanity's intelligence and potential are also expanding without limit. However, the future that AI brings is not painted solely in rosy colors. Some negative effects are inevitable in one form or another. A typical example is the outlook on the AI era shared by Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, in an interview with the Financial Times in the UK in February. He predicted, "Within the next 12 to 18 months, AI will be able to fully automate nearly all work performed by white-collar professionals, including lawyers and accountants, going beyond simply assisting to actually leading the work itself."

I, too, reflected on the past three years of using AI. I have asked countless questions and received various forms of help. Considering that I asked at least two questions every day, I have asked AI more than 2,000 questions over the past three years. So, what has changed for me? What has improved, and has anything gotten worse? There is at least one clear improvement: the habit of asking questions regularly.

As someone who grew up in Korea's answer-oriented education system, I was not accustomed to asking questions for at least 35 years. That started to change as I took on middle management roles at work and gradually developed the habit of asking questions to my team. It took me a long time to realize that this habit fostered growth for both myself and my colleagues. About three years ago, this habit of questioning finally became second nature. Meeting AI has been the biggest catalyst for this change.

If you use AI only to find answers, you have achieved only half of what is possible. The process of asking questions is just as important as the answers themselves. If you develop both the habit and the skill of questioning while using AI to find answers, there is nothing better. Acquiring the ability to utilize AI equips you with half the competencies needed to thrive in the AI era, but the true competitive edge lies in strengthening your ability to ask questions. This ability is not only a tool for obtaining better answers, but also a gateway to improved critical thinking and creativity. As advanced AI remains constantly by our side, let us develop the habit of asking better questions, questions that seek the essence and the core, questions that help build a better future. In the AI era, genuine competitiveness goes beyond technical skills—it's the power to ask questions.

Kim Hyungon, Visiting Professor at Chungnam National University Graduate School of National Policy and former President of the National Assembly Futures Institute

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.