Human in the Lead
The Executive Playbook for Safe, People-First AI in Financial Services
Three quarters of banking leaders expect humans to be managing and directing AI agents within three years. Yet only 39% have moved agents beyond pilots — and 41% say the missing piece is human oversight skills, ranking it above workforce resistance and cost.
Paperback available now on:
eBook available now on:
Edición en español (Humanos al frente) on:
73% expect humans in the lead.
39% have moved beyond pilots.
Nearly three quarters of banking leaders expect humans to be managing and directing AI agents within three years — a finding KPMG measured at 76% a year earlier. The gap isn’t ambition. It’s execution: 41% name human oversight skills as the barrier, above workforce resistance and cost.
Sources: KPMG AI Quarterly Pulse Survey — Banking, Q1 2026 (p.5) and Q2 2026 (p.4). Q2 fielded 28 April – 25 May 2026 among 204 US C-suite and business leaders at organizations with $1bn+ annual revenue.
It’s a Tuesday morning in a glass-walled boardroom on the 32nd floor. The CEO of a mid-size bank looks around at her executive team and asks the question that’s been keeping her up at night: “Are we falling behind on AI?” The silence lasts three seconds. Then everyone talks at once — and nobody has the answer.
This book is for the leader who has to find it.
Most AI programs in financial services stall for the same five reasons — and none of them are technical.
Read the argument →What the book covers
Twelve chapters, written as an executive playbook — not a technical manual, not a strategy deck.
- IntroWhy This Book, Why Now
- 1Why People-Centric AI Matters Now in Finance
- 2Principles of Human-Centered AI in Financial Services
- 3AI and the Future of Work in Banks and Wealth
- 4Designing Customer-First AI Journeys
- 5Governance Foundations
- 6Human Oversight in Practice
- 7Building AI Fluency Across the Organization
- 8People-Centric AI Architecture and Operating Models
- 9Case Vignettes from the Field
- 10The 90-Day People-Centric AI Roadmap
- 11Measuring People-Centric ROI
- 12Leading Through the Next Wave
- AfterA Letter to the Leader Reading This
Plus appendices: a glossary, a regulatory reference guide, a template library, a 90-day implementation toolkit, recommended reading, and a discussion guide for executive teams and book clubs.
Available from these stores
Paperback everywhere; e-book where marked. The Spanish edition, Humanos al frente, is e-book only. Any bookshop can order the paperback by ISBN 9798234146809.
United States
- AmazonPaperback →eBook →
- Barnes & NoblePaperback →eBook →
- Bookshop.orgsupports independent bookshopsPaperback →
- WalmartPaperback →
- Strand BooksNew YorkPaperback →
- Rakuten KoboeBook →
- Apple BookseBook →
Direct
- IngramSparkdirect from the printerPaperback →
International
- HugendubelGermanyPaperback →eBook →
- LehmannsGermanyPaperback →
- La FeltrinelliItalyPaperback →
- Ex LibrisSwitzerlandPaperback →
- Brown's Books for StudentsUnited KingdomPaperback →
- KinokuniyaSingaporePaperback →
- YES24South KoreaPaperback →
Written for
- —CEOs and boards approving the AI bets that will shape the next decade
- —CIOs, CTOs, and Heads of AI designing enterprise-scale operating models
- —Chief Risk Officers and Heads of Compliance building governance that survives a regulator
- —Heads of Wealth Management and Banking Operations getting AI to work in the field
- —Transformation and program leaders translating boardroom vision into delivery reality
- —Anyone responsible for making AI work in an industry where the stakes are real and the margins for error are small
Questions
- Where can I buy it?
- Online and in stores — Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Walmart, Strand Books, Rakuten Kobo, Apple Books, IngramSpark, Hugendubel, Lehmanns, La Feltrinelli, Ex Libris, Brown's Books for Students, Kinokuniya and YES24. For more than a handful of copies, use the team copies form instead — bulk pricing is quoted case by case.
- When is the book published?
- 26 August 2026.
- Print and digital?
- Print, e-book and audio. A Spanish e-book edition, Humanos al frente, is also available.
- Is it only about banking?
- Banking, wealth management and insurance. The frameworks generalize; the case material and regulatory references are sector-specific because that’s where the stakes are.
- Are the case studies real?
- Composite narratives drawn from real programs. Names, organizations and identifying details have been changed.
- Is this legal or compliance advice?
- No. It’s an executive playbook. For decisions in your institution and jurisdiction, consult qualified counsel.
- Can I order copies for my team?
- Yes. Use the team copies form and we will come back to you with pricing and timing. The appendices include a discussion guide designed for executive teams, one chapter per session.
Get the frameworks, the case vignettes, and what comes next.
- —Read chapter previews as they’re released
- —See the frameworks applied to live case vignettes
- —Invitations to roundtables and reader sessions for executive teams
Prefer to talk? Speaking & media inquiries →