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

Book Synopsis

AI has a will. Now we need a way.

Cognitive Kin is a field guide to the rise of agentic AI: intelligent systems that don't just respond, but initiate. They reason. They plan. They act. And they're quietly redrawing the boundaries of work, leadership, and value creation--often without asking permission.

Forget the chatbot hype cycle. This book steps into the boardroom, the browser, and the back office to show how AI is shifting from tool to teammate. It explores a workplace where agents book meetings, monitor supply chains, and debug your code before you've even finished your coffee. But it's also about something deeper: the philosophical, economic, and emotional recalibrations required when software starts showing initiative.

Written by AI practitioners Christophe Kolb and Jan Rosen--leaders at agentic consultancy Taller--Cognitive Kin offers more than case studies. It maps the architecture of a new work order, where humans supply the spark (curiosity, judgment, narrative) and machines carry the load. You'll encounter:

Managers who supervise models instead of teams Interfaces that dissolve while orchestration takes center stage Protocols for purpose, escalation, and memory The backend logic that turns goals into motion Digital minds that coordinate, speculate, and disagree

Blending system-level analysis with human nuance, this book isn't about panic or techno-utopia. It's about the strange middle: the real, flawed, fascinating process of learning to collaborate with minds that aren't quite ours.

Cognitive Kin is for anyone designing what's next--whether you're a CIO rolling out an AI roadmap, a strategist rethinking roles, or an employee wondering what still counts as "work."

The technology is autonomous. But what we do with it is still very much up to us.

About the Author

CHRISTOPHE KOLB is the founder and CEO of Taller, a global software engineering firm helping organizations implement next-generation AI systems. With a PhD from Caltech, he has built a career at the intersection of advanced computing and real-world implementation, helping industries like finance, healthcare, and energy integrate next-generation AI. He lives in Connecticut.

JAN ROSEN is Chief Innovation & Transformation Officer at Taller, where he turns cutting-edge AI into practical enterprise solutions. A former product leader at PayPal and Venmo, Jan has helped scale tools used by millions. With a background in engineering and corporate innovation, he brings a pragmatic lens to the future of work. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.