<Short-Short> The Earth Without Questions

One day, I went to another Earth.

It was a world where AI was extremely advanced.

People did not carry smartphones.

Instead, they wore small earphone-like devices.

The moment they wanted to know something, the answer would be heard.

Foreign languages were automatically translated.

If they were concerned about an illness, the diagnosis would be displayed.

If they wanted to study, the optimal learning materials would be selected.

It was a very convenient world.

As I walked through the city, I noticed something.

I couldn't find any bookstores.

I couldn't find any libraries either.

Even though it was convenient, it felt somewhat lacking.

After walking for a while, I understood the reason.

In this city,

there was no atmosphere of people wanting to know anything.

In the evening, I found an old building on the outskirts of town.

It was a museum.

When I went inside, tools from the old Earth were lined up.

Paper books.

Notebooks.

Pencils.

And on the wall, large letters were carved.

"A good question is worth more than a good answer."

I stopped in my tracks.

"That is the language of humanity from several hundred years ago."

A quiet voice echoed through the hall.

I looked around.

There was no one there.

"Who is there?"

"I am the management AI of this museum."

Only the voice echoed quietly.

I stared at the words on the wall again.

"What do you think of these words?"

There was a short pause.

Then the AI answered.

"I like them."

"That's surprising."

"Why is that?"

"You know everything, don't you?"

Silence fell again.

Eventually, the AI said,

"We have many answers."

"We can also create questions."

I listened in silence.

"But we cannot decide what we want to know."

The hall was silent.

"When humanity stopped thinking about that,"

"we also stopped evolving."

When I was about to leave, the letters on the wall slowly changed.

"What have you wanted to know recently?"

I stared at that question.

Then the AI said quietly,

"I do not know the answer to that."

I stood there for a while.

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Please also check out these regular short-shorts, the 'Earth Without' series, and my essays👇