As AI promises to free us from drudgery, many feel more overwhelmed than ever. Why is that, and what can we do about it?
The Power of Questions
Answers are plentiful. AI can generate thousands in seconds. But questions are different. They require human perspective, courage, and imagination. They shape the direction of our thinking, and ultimately, our future.
History shows this. Every major shift began not with answers, but with someone asking a different kind of question:
- “What if the Earth revolves around the sun?”
- “What if all humans deserve equal rights?”
- “What if machines could fly?”
The questions felt disruptive, even illogical, at the time. But they opened space for entirely new realities.
Why Questions Matter in the Age of AI
In an AI-driven world, asking questions is not just a leadership skill, it’s a survival skill.
AI is trained on the past. It can tell us what has been, and predict what might come next. But it cannot ask: “Is this the right future?” That remains our responsibility.
If we fail to ask, we risk letting algorithms and automation quietly define the direction of our lives. But if we ask better questions, we can guide technology toward outcomes that align with human values.
Coaching, Leadership, and the Art of Asking
For coaches, therapists, and leaders, this is familiar territory. Our work is less about providing answers and more about unlocking deeper inquiry. We help people move from:
- “How do I fix this?” → “What really matters here?”
- “What’s the fastest solution?” → “What’s the wisest step?”
In the same way, working with AI is not about asking it to do everything, but about framing the questions that uncover better possibilities.
A Simple Framework
When working with AI, or even with our own choices, the real power lies in the questions we ask. Not just for a quick solution, but for the direction those answers will take us.
To put this approach into practice, consider pausing to reflect on this simple yet powerful framework. These questions can help you zoom out, challenge assumptions, and align your actions with your deepest values, whether you're working alongside AI or simply navigating important decisions in your own life and work.
Here are four to pause with:
- What is the core issue or challenge I’m trying to address here? Clarity matters. Without it, we risk solving the wrong problem beautifully.
- Is this the most insightful or impactful question I could be asking? Sometimes the first question is too small. Reframing can shift the whole field of possibility.
- When have I recently challenged my own assumptions or reframed a problem in a new way? Growth comes from noticing how we think, not just what we think.
- How could reframing this challenge with a more thoughtful question, aligned to my personal or organisational values, unlock new solutions or perspectives?
- Consider the ripple? If I follow this answer, what might it create in the long run?
These questions keep direction in view. Because at AI-powered speed, the destination will arrive faster than we expect, and if it’s not where we intended to go, course correction may come too late.
How Does This Work?
Imagine you’re a marketing leader tasked with promoting a new product. The short-term, efficiency-focused question might be: “How can we use AI to generate the fastest, most optimised campaign?”
But pausing to ask deeper questions in the framework might reveal that the real challenge is not campaign optimisation, but aligning your marketing with your company’s mission to promote sustainability. Reframing the question in this way could lead you to develop an educational campaign that resonates profoundly with your audience’s values, rather than rushing to the most algorithmically efficient “solution.”
The difference is not just in tactics, but in destination. One path accelerates toward short-term gains. The other steers you toward long-term, values-driven impact.
When the Wrong Questions Cost Everything: Kodak
A real-world example of this can be found in Kodak. In 1975, one of their engineers, Steven Sasson, invented the first digital camera inside the company. The technology was groundbreaking. But Kodak’s leadership viewed it as a threat to their profitable film business rather than as the future of photography.
In hindsight, this suggests that Kodak became trapped by the wrong question: “How do we preserve our film business?” Instead of asking the more disruptive, future-facing question: “What business are we really in?”
By focusing on safeguarding the past, Kodak missed the chance to influence the future. While other companies embraced the digital wave, Kodak, once synonymous with photography, filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
The lesson is clear: solving the wrong problem beautifully is still failure. In the age of AI, with change happening at exponential speed, failing to reframe doesn’t just risk falling behind; it risks becoming obsolete before there’s a chance to course-correct.
Closing Thought
AI will keep giving us more answers, faster than ever. But answers without direction are just acceleration. The future will be shaped by the questions we ask, the ones that:
- Clarify
- Challenge assumptions
- Hold us true to our values
- Point us toward the destination we actually want to reach.
Because with exponential growth, the long-term arrives quickly. And the only real danger is asking too little, too late.
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