The 'Power to Pose Questions' We Must Hone in an Era Where AI Provides the Answers—Rethinking New Ways of Working from 'The Book of Adventure'

An invitation named 'The Book of Adventure' that caught my eye at the bookstore

At the bookstore, I was struck by a cover that looked like a modern anime and a title that reminded me of an RPG: 'The Book of Adventure.' It is a book by Taizo Son titled 'The Book of Adventure: Unlearning in the Age of AI.'

I picked it up casually, but the content was incredibly thought-provoking, fundamentally questioning 'how we work and live' in the coming AI era.

Recently, there is a tendency to focus only on 'how to master AI,' but what this book made me realize is that what is truly needed in the AI era is the 'power to pose questions.' In this article, I would like to talk about the importance of unlearning the 'common sense' we are unconsciously bound by and finding our own unique questions, while sharing episodes about a former boss I respect.

Value lies in 'unique hypotheses' rather than 'correct answers'

The 'power to pose questions' is something I hear about often lately. I believe this is not just about copying and pasting AI prompt templates found on the internet, but rather 'the ability to form one's own hypothesis regarding a certain phenomenon.'

The book also points out that in an era where AI instantly presents what seem to be correct answers, the human role will shift toward 'generating questions without correct answers and taking action toward them.'

Reading this book reminded me of a boss I once worked for. He would laugh and say, 'My hypotheses are usually right,' and he was an incredibly interesting person who was exceptionally good at giving presentations. This wasn't just because his materials were well-organized and easy to understand, but because his unique analytical perspective was so fresh and captivating to the audience.

A boss's perspective that captured the 'signs' behind the data

For example, one time he remarked, 'Product B has been selling better in regional stores lately, but I don't think it's because it's a product that elderly people prefer.'

When we immediately checked the purchase data, we found that the proportion of young people had increased, and sales were notably growing in areas with nearby schools. When we followed his instruction to stock more inventory in areas near schools in the city center, sales jumped significantly. He had somehow been the first to pick up on the signs of a revival boom among young people.

What 'drinking out' after work taught me about the essence of unlearning

So, where did he get that information?

In fact, that boss would leave almost exactly at closing time every day to go drinking in the city with people outside the company. Meanwhile, we were working until nearly the last train almost every day. Normally, one would expect resentment to build, thinking, 'He's pushing his work onto us and going out to drink by himself,' but strangely, there was an atmosphere in the team that said, 'If it's him, it can't be helped.'

The reason for this was the peace of mind that he would never blame his subordinates when trouble occurred, but would instead face the president and executives to protect us, as well as the trust we had in him to guide the team with sharp questions.

By interacting with diverse people outside the company every day, he gathered information and 'daily discomforts' that could not be obtained just by staying inside the office. That is precisely why he was able to 'pose questions' from a different angle than ours. He once said, 'I intentionally go outside the company to meet people in different environments and get stimulated.' I now understand that this was the practice of 'unlearning'—shedding existing frameworks.

Loving the 'messy process' in the AI era

AI has the correct answers, and anyone can reach them easily. However, if the way you 'pose the question' is off to begin with, you will only get irrelevant answers. People who feel that 'I tried using AI but it's not very useful' might be unconsciously asking questions only within the confines of existing common sense (bias).

Pausing at daily discomforts and asking 'Why?' is a messy process that only humans can do. To improve the accuracy of this, it is necessary to keep updating yourself by meeting various people, getting stimulated, and reading books.

However, I want to be careful not to suggest that we should aim for a new divide of 'excellent people who can pose questions.' The more you try to optimize yourself to match evaluation criteria set by others, the easier you become to replace by AI. What is important is not the ability to win competitions, but nurturing 'your own unique questions' based on pure curiosity.

Stepping off the competitive track and starting your own 'adventure'

What 'The Book of Adventure' teaches us is the importance of letting go (unlearning) the long-held belief that 'the better you are at providing the right answer, the more talented you are.'

In this coming era where AI can derive the correct answers, we can step off the treadmill of competing to find 'the right answer determined by others.' Just as the bosses of the past encountered diverse values and enjoyed forming their own unique hypotheses, we too should be free to engage with the world more openly, following wherever our curiosity leads.

Value the sense of unease in your daily life and formulate your own 'questions.' I believe that enjoying the process itself is the beginning of our own 'adventure' in the age of AI.

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