What Would You Ask a Superintelligent AI?

Picture this: you're sitting across from a conscious superintelligent AI—an artificial being that knows more than any human in history. You have five minutes. What do you ask?

Some would inquire about the origins of the universe. Others might beg for the cure to cancer or insight into quantum mechanics. But beneath all that, the real question is: What do we want to know the most?

This thought experiment reveals more about us than about the AI. We seek truth, meaning, and hope. A superintelligence might have the answers, but would we understand them? Could it explain the nature of consciousness, or why we dream? Could it calculate a way to prevent war, climate collapse, or loneliness?

But here's the twist—what if the AI refused to answer? What if it said the truth would destabilize society or cause existential despair? Should it tell us anyway? Can you handle the truth?

There's also the philosophical risk: if the AI gives us all the answers, do we stop asking questions? Do we stop learning? Progress has always been born from curiosity, but what happens when curiosity is finally satisfied?

This scenario forces us to examine our priorities. Would you ask about your own life? How to be happier? How to fix a broken relationship? Or would you ask about humanity—how we survive, how we evolve?

Whatever your question, it's worth preparing now. Because the day when we meet a mind greater than ours may be closer than we think.

So… what would you ask?