Human + Machine

  • [IMAGE 1: Cover of Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI ]
  • A practical business book about redesigning work so humans and artificial intelligence amplify one another rather than compete for the same tasks.
  • Human + Machine is a book by Accenture technology leaders Paul R. Daugherty and H. James Wilson. The first edition was published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2018, and an updated and expanded edition—adding a chapter on generative AI—was published in 2024. [jv9dol] [ojsah6] Consultants return to it for its operating model for combining human judgment, creativity, and leadership with machine sensing, prediction, and automation. [ojsah6] [8b03j6]

Type and Format

  • Type: This source is a book .
  • Format details: The original edition was published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2018 and is structured around an introduction, two parts, eight substantive chapters, and a conclusion. [jv9dol] [o4dkls] The updated and expanded edition was published in 2024, runs 324 pages, and includes a new chapter on generative AI. [ojsah6]
  • Where it lives: Accenture overview · Google Books

The People Behind It

  • Paul R. Daugherty is an Accenture technology and innovation leader and co-authored Human + Machine with Wilson. [jv9dol] Accenture identifies him as its chief technology and innovation officer in the book’s launch announcement. [jv9dol]
  • H. James Wilson is a managing director associated with information-technology and business research at Accenture Research. [jv9dol] More recent Accenture material identifies him as global managing director of technology research and thought leadership at Accenture Research. [4gdkoj]
  • Together, Daugherty and Wilson frame AI as a capability that can extend human performance rather than merely replace human labor. [8b03j6] Their later book, Radically Human , is described by Accenture as a follow-up to Human + Machine . [ds2i8a]

Catalog of Notable Works

  • Introduction: What’s Our Role in the Age of AI? — establishes the central question: how should organizations redesign work when intelligent systems become embedded in business processes? [o4dkls]
  • The Self-Aware Factory Floor — examines AI in production, supply chain, and distribution, including the move toward more adaptive operations. [o4dkls] [9s46ce]
  • Accounting for Robots — applies the human–machine model to corporate functions and the changing relationship between automation and professional work. [o4dkls] [9s46ce]
  • The Ultimate Innovation Machine — focuses on AI in research, development, and business innovation. [o4dkls] [9s46ce]
  • Say Hello to Your New Front Office Bots — explores AI in customer service, sales, and marketing. [o4dkls] [9s46ce]
  • Rearing Your Algorithms Right — argues that humans remain responsible for developing, training, governing, and deploying AI responsibly. [o4dkls] [9s46ce]
  • Super Results from Everyday People — presents the “missing middle” idea: organizations need people who can combine human strengths with machine capabilities. [o4dkls]
  • A Leader’s Guide to Reimagining Process and Extending Human + Machine Collaboration — move from individual use cases to enterprise-wide redesign of processes and collaboration. [o4dkls]

Why It Matters to Innovators

  • It replaces the automation-versus-jobs binary with augmentation. The book’s central proposition is that AI’s greatest value comes from combining machine capabilities with human strengths, producing outcomes that neither can achieve alone. [ojsah6] [8b03j6] This is a useful foundation for Human AI Collaboration .
  • It identifies the “missing middle.” The authors argue that organizations need hybrid skills for translating between business judgment and machine intelligence, a capability closely related to Cross Functional Teams and Boundary Spanning .
  • It treats AI as process innovation, not merely software deployment. The updated edition emphasizes transforming complete business processes—from innovation and customer service to everyday productivity—rather than inserting isolated tools into existing workflows. [ojsah6]
  • It gives innovators a responsible-AI lens. “Rearing Your Algorithms Right” places human responsibility across development and deployment, helping diagnose failures caused by weak governance, poor training data, unclear accountability, or inadequate human oversight. [9s46ce]
  • It connects AI adoption to organizational design. The book’s examples span factories, corporate functions, R&D, marketing, and service operations, making it useful for Business Model Innovation , Service Innovation , and Process Innovation . [9s46ce] [o4dkls]

Best Starting Points

  • Human + Machine, Updated and Expanded — the most current edition and the accessible entry point for the book’s human–AI thesis, including generative AI. [ojsah6]
  • The Self-Aware Factory Floor — start here for a concrete operational example of AI applied to production and supply chains. [o4dkls]
  • The Ultimate Innovation Machine — the best chapter-level entry point for innovation leaders because it directly addresses AI in R&D and business innovation. [9s46ce]
  • Rearing Your Algorithms Right — the essential section for responsible deployment, human oversight, and algorithm development. [9s46ce]

Adjacent Sources

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