A Fast Company Book

"This is the human playbook for the AI era."

--Jonathan Rosenberg, advisor to Alphabet and former Google SVP

AI creates possibility. People turn it into progress.

We are standing at an invisible edge where the speed of change outpaces the speed of understanding and where progress has lost its purpose. Drawing from neuroscience, behavioral economics, and decades of leadership across global industries, Henna Karna introduces a new framework for navigating this exponential change: brinkmanship.

Brinkmanship is the discipline of leading at the edge, where urgency meets endurance and moving forward becomes easier than standing still. It is the mastery of motion in moments that could otherwise collapse into fear, paralysis, or backlash.

As we navigate the advancement of AI, this book will show you that AI alone will never be enough. Without emotional intelligence, technology becomes a blunt instrument. When paired with emotional intelligence, AI becomes a catalyst for trust, resilience, and sustained performance. When people are equipped to adapt, trust, and grow, innovation transforms from a competitive advantage into a moral responsibility.

AI will change what we can do. Emotional intelligence will decide who we become. This book is for anyone shaping the future of organizations, communities, or themselves.