"In an era when AI reshapes nearly every aspect of work, Johan Roos reminds us that progress depends on more than technology—it depends on people. Human Magic offers a clear, research-based framework for strengthening the five capabilities that make us distinctly human and strategically indispensable: curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. For leaders and HR professionals alike, this book is both a wake-up call and a roadmap for ensuring that as machines get smarter, our people grow wiser, stronger, and more valuable than ever."Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, President and Chief Executive Officer, SHRM"Johan Roos’s Human Magic delivers a powerful manifesto on humanity’s unique superpowers and why the human condition must be preserved, regardless of how inorganic, automated, or autonomous the intelligences we may claim to have invented become."Hamilton Mann, Bestselling author and originator of Artificial Integrity “Twenty-five years ago, Johan Roos showed how thinking with your hands reveals insights spreadsheets miss. Today, he shows why that matters more than ever in the age of AI."Howard Yu, LEGO® Professor of Management and Innovation & Directorof IMD’s Center for Future Readiness, IMD“AI will accelerate strategy, growth, and commercialization 100x. But as Johan Roos reminds us, speed without direction is just noise. We need human curiosity, creativity, and judgment to guide us wisely.”Alex Osterwalder, President Strategyzer“Johan Roos asks the question every leader should be asking: will AI make us better or worse off? Will it expand our curiosity and drive to learn, or quietly take over our critical thinking? Human Magic is a thought-provoking read for anyone interested in the future of management, organizations, and learning.”Kevin Nolan, President of GE Appliances“Johan offers the best solution to avoiding overuse of algorithmic planning. The use of algorithms in marketing offers performance improvements but not strategic improvements. For strategic insights, professional marketers must use the human skills of Curiosity, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration. He shows how these human skills might dry up in the overuse of AI. AI has its uses but cannot match the magic of the human mind.”Philip Kotler, Philip S. Kotler & S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University“AI generates options but scientists provide the judgment. Johan shows how to systematically preserve the human capabilities that make AI valuable rather than dangerous in high-stakes decisions.”Sanjiv Patel, CEO, Relay Therapeutics“The challenge of AI to leadership is the magician’s curse: how do you keep wonder alive when everyone believes anything can be done? Human magic is harder and more needed than ever. And Johan’s book is its vade mecum.”Laurent Choin, Chief Leadership, Education & Culture, Mazar“In his usual pragmatic style, Johan provides us with a clear, comprehensive, human centric and logical path for us to steer AI for the benefits of humanity. The choices to make are now and are critically important: fall victims of our worries and passivity or embrace AI by taking charge of our destiny with clarity, method and optimism. In his usual pragmatic style, Johan provides us with a clear, comprehensive, human centric and logical path for us to steer AI for the benefits of humanity. The choices to make are now and are critically important: fall victims of our worries and passivity or embrace AI by taking charge of our destiny with clarity, method and optimism."Guillaume Alvarez, Chief Strategy Officer, Think Young“In Human Magic, Johan Roos offers a practical playbook for the future of leadership. Where much of today’s conversation about AI centers on productivity or displacement, Roos focuses on something deeper: how AI can be a catalyst for renewal, purpose, and agency even as algorithms take up their place in the workforce. It’s a rare book that bridges the philosophical with the pragmatic — combining rigorous research with tested interventions drawn from Roos’s experience leading AI and capability development initiatives across global organizations. A toolkit for staying human, Human Magic belongs in the hands of anyone committed to building organizations that thrive in the age of intelligent machines.”Matt Sigelman, President, The Burning Glass Institute"The skills that matter most are still profoundly human—curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. These are the competencies that turn young people from task-doers into changemakers. Human Magic is a timely contribution to the global conversation about how we nurture the next generation of innovators and leaders."Asheesh Advani, CEO, Junior Achievement Worldwide and co-author of international bestseller Modern Achievement"Strategy has often been thought of as an analytical exercise, not a creative, imaginative one. It’s likely that as a consequence too many leaders are going to fall into the trap of letting their skills of creative problem-solving, curiosity and good judgment fade, even as AI produces seemingly coherent answers. In this timely and well-researched book, Johan Roos presents research that shows us how risky it can be to outsource our thinking to machines and the practices we should adopt instead. Not only that, but the title definitely wins my vote for one of the best for 2026!"Rita McGrath, author of Seeing Around Corners and longtime educator at Columbia Business School
