The art of asking — Nahrizul Adib Kadri

On October 12, humanity faces an unprecedented challenge - having access to nearly all knowledge ever recorded, yet lacking the skills to utilize it effectively. For much of history, the primary challenge was preserving information, be it through oral traditions, handwritten manuscripts, clay tablets or papyrus scrolls. Even after the invention of paper and the printing press, knowledge remained accessible mainly to the wealthy or those privileged enough to enter institutions housing such materials.

The printing press revolutionized this, enabling mass production and wider distribution of books. Libraries expanded, playing a crucial role in sharing knowledge, but users still needed skills to navigate vast collections. With the advent of computers and the internet, information became universally accessible. Search engines further streamlined this by allowing users to locate relevant information through keywords, drastically reducing the time required for research.

However, the sheer volume of online information also created new difficulties in discerning reliable sources from unreliable ones. The emergence of generative AI, particularly large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini, has introduced a new phase in our relationship with information. Instead of searching for information across multiple sources, users can now pose a question in everyday language and receive a direct response.

This new challenge is asking - the ability to formulate good questions becomes increasingly crucial. Conventional search engines retrieve knowledge akin to a library catalogue, while AI generates responses based on learned patterns and probabilities. The quality of the response depends on how the question is phrased, the context provided and the instructions given.

A vague question may yield a general answer, while a more carefully considered question can result in a highly useful response. However, the usefulness of the response also depends on the user's ability to critically examine it, compare it with other sources and determine its accuracy. Thus, the ability to ask good questions is as important as finding information.

The history of information technology can be seen as a progression from preserving knowledge, to locating it, to interacting with it in increasingly sophisticated ways. Each advancement has expanded what ordinary people can do with information, but also necessitated the development of new skills. The most important skill for the next generation may not be the ability to remember or find facts quickly, but rather recognizing what is worth knowing, formulating meaningful questions and exercising good judgement when faced with readily available answers.