Cognitive Kin - by Christophe Kolb & Jan Rosen (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Now that AI has a will, it's up to us to find a way. For decades, we built software that did what it was told--and nothing else. Agentic AI breaks this bargain: systems that remember, reason, and pursue goals. They arrive less like code and more like colleagues--tireless, fast, and, like any new hire, occasionally in need of supervision.

In Cognitive Kin, Christophe Kolb and Jan Rosen map the threshold where artificial intelligence stops being a feature and becomes a workforce. Drawing on firsthand experience at the frontier of agentic AI, they show how digital labor becomes viable, why org charts give way to networks of intent, and how leadership shifts to orchestration. They translate the machinery--memory, feedback loops, tool use--into plain language, then follow the shockwave into strategy, culture, and governance.

This isn't tomorrow's speculation. It's a present-tense transition that is reshaping the meaning of work and creating new sources of value. The advantage will belong to firms that learn to think with thinking things--working alongside intelligent systems without outsourcing judgment, meaning, or responsibility

Review Quotes

"The transition to agentic AI isn't just a technical shift, it's a leadership one. Cognitive Kin provides a thoughtful, grounded framework for understanding how autonomy, coordination, and human judgment evolve as AI systems gain agency. Kolb and Rosen connect architecture to organizational design, and philosophy to execution, without drifting into hype. This is a book for both leaders and builders who want to engage the future deliberately, not reactively."
--Papanii Okai, Executive Vice President, Engineering, Rocket

"Cognitive Kin offers a compelling glimpse into a future where humans and autonomous systems co-create the world around them. Kolb and Rosen reveal with impressive clarity how agentic AI reshapes not only our tools but our perceptions, functioning as a new operating system for human endeavor."
--Michael John Gorman, The Mark R. Epstein (Class of 1963) Director, MIT Museum, and Professor of the Practice of Science, Technology, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"AI is scaring much of the world. That's why Cognitive Kin is a must-read! As with emerging technologies over time, from the wheel to the printing press to computer chips, the rewards from productivity gains will be far greater than any losses. Christophe Kolb and Jan Rosen do a masterful job of sharing the here and now of the world of AI."
--Patricia Chadwick, Author, Breaking Glass: Tales from the Witch of Wall Street

"As a global investor, this book is compelling because it explains why agentic AI moves from a productivity aid to a true digital colleague--reshaping how capital is analyzed and allocated."
--Jim Caron, Chief Investment Officer, Cross Asset Solutions, Morgan Stanley Investment Management

"Cognitive Kin maps the convergence of human and digital intelligence with insight and imagination. It's a fascinating practical guide to a changing world where cognition is increasingly shared."
--Michael Hasselmo, Director, Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University

"We stand at the threshold of a monumental transformation that will redefine work itself. In this new era, every employee will collaborate with intelligent digital partners that amplify human creativity and accelerate decision-making, ultimately boosting employee competitive value. Cognitive Kin is the bible on how to drive a full-court press into the future."
--David Bair, President, Consulting Solutions, Kforce

"Cognitive Kin explains how coordinated systems of humans and agents can unlock creativity at global scale."
--Scott Koenigsberg, Chief Product Officer, Zynga

"Read this book now--before your competitors' agents do."
--Avinash Harsh, Chief Executive Officer, Wizerr AI

"Cognitive Kin escapes the love/hate binary of today's AI discourse to answer the key questions of how and why we need to partner with emerging digital agents to create the future we want--a must for all current and aspiring leaders."
--Mark Searle, Entrepreneurship Faculty, College of Engineering, University of California, Berkeley

"Cognitive Kin maps the neural circuitry of tomorrow's agentic ecosystems with clarity and ambition. It's a rare blend of visionary and practical."
--Surojit Bhaduri, Senior Director, Payment Platform, PayPal

"A powerful vision of how humans and agents will work together."
--M. Mansur Ashraf, Senior Engineering Manager, Apple

"Cognitive Kin nails the architectural moment we're in: the shift from tools to agents, from tasks to systems, from automation to autonomy. It's the rare book that makes the future feel legible."
--Sean McCormack, Chief Information Officer, First Student

"The rare AI book that's both strategic and humane."
--Kye Mitchell, President, Experis US

"The future of work must combine the best of human talent with AI-powered systems. Cognitive Kin is a powerful book about unlocking true potential and a timely reminder that, when guided well, progress expands opportunity."
--Chris Layden, Chief Executive Officer, Kelly

"Insightful, ambitious, and deeply relevant."
--Christopher Lloyd, Actor

"A visionary and grounded field guide to an era that's arriving faster than most realize."
--Duncan Souster, Chief Executive Officer, Avelios Alternative Assets

"Executives looking to navigate this next disruption will find Cognitive Kin essential reading."
--Sameera Rao, Head of Engineering, HealthEquity

"Kolb and Rosen bring a builder's intensity to the deepest questions about AI--translating theory into practice with rare clarity and a vision for the next decade."
--Severin White, Head of Corporate Development, DigitalBridge

"If you run a company--or plan to--the insights in Cognitive Kin belong in your playbook."
--David Wassong, Managing Partner, Coventry Bay Group

"Anyone designing communities, networks, or institutions will find real insight in these pages."
--Mandeep Dhillon, Cofounder, BeMe Health

"Agentic AI is reshaping how people connect, create, and collaborate. Cognitive Kin captures that shift with precision and energy."
--Mike Signer, Former Mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia, and author of Cry Havoc

"Cognitive Kin presents a brilliant and insightful overview of the evolutionary arc of agentic AI. Weaving together poignant historical references, relatable practical examples, and insightful visions of the future, the authors illuminate the dynamic partnership between agentic AI and humanity. A profound mutual evolution that will reshape leadership, redefine organizations, and even extend into every aspect of modern life."
--David Harap, Managing Director, Stanton Chase

"Cognitive Kin reads like an operator's guide to distributed intelligence. The strategic implications are enormous."
--Tobias Dengel, President, TELUS Digital

"At a moment of deep uncertainty about AI and work, Cognitive Kin treats technology not as destiny, but as a relationship that demands conscious choice and responsibility."
--Rebekah Kowalski, Founder, Employment Futures

"Cognitive Kin offers policymakers a grounded, forward-looking account of the AI transition now underway. By framing agents as a new factor of production, it shows how agentic systems reshape labor, firms, and governance, and how institutional design choices will determine whether these gains diffuse broadly or concentrate narrowly."
--Robert E. Kinney, Esq., President, Kinney Recruiting

About the Author

Dr. Christophe Kolb is the founder and CEO of Taller, a global accelerator for digital transformation that brings AI and deep tech from incubation to large-scale deployment. He works with Fortune 500 companies and ambitious enterprises to build "centaur workforces" hybrid teams of human specialists and AI agents that redefine how organizations create, deliver, and capture value. A longtime traveler across the frontiers of advanced technology--from neural networks and decentralized systems to quantum computing--Kolb holds a Ph.D. in Computation & Neural Systems from Caltech and a degree in Physics & Philosophy from Oxford.

Jan Rosen is Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer at Taller, where he designs and deploys agentic AI architectures that change how organizations think, decide, and deliver. Before joining Taller, he led major engineering efforts at Venmo and PayPal, building the invisible machinery behind everyday payments and in-store experiences, and driving major platform modernization. A systems engineer by training and temperament, he moves easily from code to culture, helping enterprise leaders translate advanced strategy into running software. Rosen holds an M.Sc. in Computer Science from Chalmers University of Technology.