The Best AI Tip: Use AI to Ask Better Questions (Not Just to Get Answers)
Most people use AI to understand information faster. Think of summarising documents, analysing reports, or interpreting complex legal texts. But there's one application of AI that's often overlooked, despite being incredibly powerful:
Use AI to ask better questions, not just to get answers.
AI as a sparring partner in practice
An example from my own life: we recently bought a new house. This involved all sorts of things I'm not an expert in – mortgage offers, notary documents, renovation contracts, permits. Every detail counts. Every mistake can cost a lot of money.
Fortunately, I had my AI assistant (in this case: ChatGPT with the O3 reasoning model) ready. And instead of just using it to "quickly" summarise documents, I went a step further:
🔍 I let the AI help me formulate the right questions. Questions that I could then ask the notary, mortgage advisor, or contractor. Questions that ensured I:
- better understood what I was getting into,
- didn't miss any important information,
- and was taken more seriously by the professional on the other side.
Why asking questions is so powerful
Asking targeted questions forces you to think about the content. It helps you to:
- actively reflect on what you read,
- identify pitfalls or ambiguities,
- and come across as professional and prepared in conversations.
In short: AI transforms from a passive source of information into an active sparring partner.
Translating to a business context
This approach works just as well professionally as it does privately. Imagine you receive a/an:
- quote from a supplier,
- draft contract from a client,
- policy document from management.
Use AI to understand the document, but also ask:💬 “What questions should I ask about this?”The answers to those are often exactly what you need to negotiate smarter, make better decisions, or reduce risks.
Conclusion: Smart questions make the difference
AI is not a replacement for your judgment – it's an extension of it. And the better you know how to ask the right questions, the more valuable the use of AI becomes.
So, the next time you open ChatGPT, ask a question about the document you're reading, and then also ask:👉 “What questions should I ask an expert about this?”
You'll be surprised how much further you get.
- Best AI Tools
- GEO: discoverable in AI search engines
- Writing AI prompts
Job van den Berg is an AI keynote speaker, tech entrepreneur and author of five books on AI. He ships AI agents into production every week and delivers 150+ keynotes a year on AI agents and agentic commerce.
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