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 available in both. Any bookshop can order the English paperback by ISBN 9798234146809, and the Spanish one by ISBN 9798349571299.
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 →
Edición en español — Humanos al frente
Translated by Morticia Lewis
- Amazon.eseBook →
- Barnes & NoblePaperback →
- Apple BookseBook →
- Rakuten KoboeBook →
- IngramSparkdirect from the printerPaperback →
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 was it published?
- 26 August 2026.
- Print and digital?
- Print and e-book, including a Spanish edition, Humanos al frente, in both formats. There is no audiobook at this stage.
- 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 →