New Book — September 15, 2026
Manage the Machine
How to Harness Human-AI Collaboration at Work
Join the movement to put people at the center of the AI transformation at work.
AI technology has rapidly advanced from machine learning to generative tools to autonomous agents. Business leaders are increasingly excited about the potential of AI but also worried about the risks. At a time when AI can both radically increase productivity and set off a PR nightmare, where can professionals turn for tactical advice that cuts through the hype?
Manage the Machine is a practical guide to effectively and responsibly integrating AI into work, in business domains ranging from sales to corporate strategy to HR. Paula Goldman, chief ethical and humane use officer at Salesforce, shows how to get the best from AI and people working together, with examples from leading companies like Walmart, SharkNinja, and Nike. She provides clear guidance for determining which tasks can be safely delegated to AI and where humans should take the lead; for example, by articulating when customers welcome AI, and when they find it inappropriate. Goldman also lays out the guardrails necessary to keep AI—or the humans using it—from going astray. As humans increasingly work side by side with AI, Manage the Machine provides the road map for organizations to take their next steps with confidence, putting people at the center of the transformation.
Why I Wrote This Book
In late 2022, after ChatGPT launched, friends began asking me about AI and its impact on work. For years my focus on AI was a dinner-party curiosity. Then suddenly the questions felt urgent, tinged with fear.
At boardroom tables, in policy conversations and in the media, people were acting like somehow AI was going to make humans irrelevant. But I could see the truth was exactly the opposite. As AI gets more and more powerful, human leadership and judgment matter more, not less.
A big part of the unlock for AI at work is the design of the human-AI partnership: knowing what AI is great at, where it falls short, and the right (and wrong) ways for people to leverage AI to achieve outcomes they couldn't reach otherwise. That's what Manage the Machine is about.
Not an abstract prediction. Practical and grounded in how work gets done in a range of roles, from sales to HR to legal and beyond. Keeping people at the center of the transformation is how we get the best results. But it's an intentional choice that has to be made. I wanted to be part of a movement of leaders making that choice.
What's Inside
Who It's For
- The CEO or CIO charged with guiding your organization through AI transformation, wanting a clear-eyed view of AI's opportunities and its limits, and a practical framework for leading through both.
- The HR or people leader thinking through not just what changes with AI, but how to leverage it to unlock new horizons and growth for your people.
- The product leader or engineer navigating a fundamental shift in how products get built and how teams work, seeking to harness AI's speed and capability without losing the human creativity that drives real innovation.
- The sales, marketing, or commerce professional figuring out how to balance AI's power for personalization with the human taste-making and judgment that still sets great work apart.
- The lawyer or compliance leader who needs clarity on where AI can be trusted, and where it absolutely shouldn't be.
- The nonprofit or government professional navigating AI in service of mission and the public good, and seeking proven practices for doing it responsibly.
- Those early in their career who want to understand how this transformation will shape the path ahead, and how to stay at the helm of it.
Whatever your role, my goal for you is confidence. Amidst a media narrative of hype, doom, and FOMO, I want you to walk away knowing that the most important variable in the AI-enabled workplace isn't the technology. It's you. And this book gives you the framework to navigate what comes next.