Marc Eichner

Stop asking AI for answers. Make it ask you the questions

Stop trying to get answers from AI.

It's holding you back.

Most people think of AI as a magical answer machine that spits out content on demand. And they're not wrong... but they're only half right.

After observing dozens of our AI workshop clients and colleagues use LLMs, I've identified two distinct modes of AI engagement that determine the results:

  1. AI as Answer Machine

This is the default. You ask a question, AI answers. Fast, efficient, and often... mediocre - like those AI generated comments on LinkedIn.

Great for:

  • Quick drafts
  • Factual information
  • Standard tasks

But here's where most of us stop, missing the transformative power of:

  1. AI as Question Machine

This turns the paradigm upside down.

Instead of asking AI for answers, you present your draft, idea, or challenge – and have AI ask YOU the probing questions that expand your thinking.

2 weeks I ago I was 'vibe coding' a bot for the first time to answer employee compliance questions and draft contracts.

My first version was functional, but when I fed it to Gemini as a "Question Machine," it hit me with:

'How important is modularity in your file structure?' and 'What's the logic for assembling contract clauses'. If I'd thought about these questions earlier I'd saved hours of work and the initial bot version would have been significantly better.

I've come to believe that the quality of questions you ask determines the quality of your results. And AI can help you with that.

The "Question Machine" mode:

  • Reveals your blind spots
  • Challenges assumptions
  • Forces deeper context consideration
  • Helps you produce original outputs

Here's the counterintuitive insight:

The highest AI value often comes not when it thinks FOR you, but when it makes you think BETTER.