Age of Invisible Machines: A Guide to Orchestrating AI Agents and Making Organizations More Self-Driving, Revised and Updated

by Robb Wilson, Josh Tyson

USA Today Bestseller

The Book That Saw 2027—In 2022. Now Sharpened for the Road Ahead.

Age of Invisible Machines quickly earned a reputation as a prophetic guide for technology and business leaders, offering a clear vision of what was coming just before it arrived. When the first edition launched in late 2022, few had seen the tidal wave of generative AI coming. But Robb Wilson and Josh Tyson had. Their predictions—including the pivotal role of large language models and conversational interfaces—soon became reality, helping thousands of readers understand, prepare for, and act on the AI shift already reshaping the world.

Now, the newly revised second edition pushes that vision forward—offering a 2027-level roadmap for software architects, enterprise architects, developers, product owners, and future-focused executives who are ready to build what's next.

This expanded edition introduces timely, practical guidance

Harnessing generative AI in the software development lifecycle Building composable, agentic systems that scale Orchestrating intelligent agents across knowledge, process, and interface layers Designed for architects of all kinds—enterprise, system, solution, and experience—this book distills decades of R&D, implementation, and design into a playbook for AI-native transformation.

You’ll also find insights drawn from exclusive conversations on the Invisible Machines podcast with pioneers

Cassie Kozyrkov (Google’s first Chief Decision Scientist) Jaron Lanier (Microsoft OCTOPUS) Tom Gruber & Adam Cheyer (Siri co-creators) Cathy Pearl (UX Lead, Google Gemini) Jonathan Frankle (Chief AI Scientist, Databricks/Mosaic ML), Kara Swisher, Jim Webber (Chief Scientist, Neo4j), and more With AI accelerating faster than most enterprises can adapt, this book provides both the urgency and the operational clarity leaders need to move from exploration to execution. It’s an indispensable resource for those shaping the future of platforms, systems, teams, and entire organizations.

If the first edition helped readers see the future of AI in 2023—this one will help you navigate 2027 and beyond.

Genres: Artificial Intelligence

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2025

About the author

Robb Wilson is the Founder, Lead Designer, and Chief Technologist behind OneReach.ai, the highest-scoring company in Gartner’s first Critical Capabilities for Enterprise Conversational AI Platforms report. Robb has spent more than two decades applying his deep understanding of user-centric design to unlocking hyperautomation. In that time he built UX Magazine into the world’s largest experience design publication while simultaneously creating Effective UI, a full-service UX firm that competed with IDEO and Frog Design. In addition to launching 15 startups and collecting over 130 awards across the fields of design and technology, Robb has held executive roles at several publicly traded companies and mentored colleagues who went on to leadership roles at Amazon Alexa, Google, Ogilvy, GE, Salesforce, Instagram, LinkedIn, Disney, Microsoft, Mastercard, and Boeing.

Reviews

[Alya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book about AI, and it really helped me understand the basics and see the bigger picture of where AI is heading. A great starting point for anyone curious about the topic.

[Robert Aldrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Age of Invisible Machines isn’t just ahead of the curve—it defines the curve. Robb Wilson has created a foundational guide for the age of agentic AI, blending sharp technical insight with deep humanism. This book cuts through the hype and delivers a clear, actionable roadmap for anyone serious about transforming business through conversational AI and automation. Whether you’re leading digital strategy or building AI into real-world systems, this is the blueprint you’ll keep returning to.

[Reese Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit, I was nervous about picking up a book about AI - as this feels like a field where anything from two days ago is ancient.

I was completely wrong. The second edition of Age of Invisible Machines is surprisingly evergreen. It provides a foundational understanding that is far more useful than many of the more current articles I've read or podcasts I’ve listened to. It focuses on the concepts that last, so if you're looking for a book that will still be relevant in your discussions in two years, this is it. Highly recommend

[Kateryna Dudko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own both the first and revised second editions of this book, and it’s definitely worth reading if you’re interested in AI agent orchestration or building more self-driving organizations. The authors do a great job of connecting big-picture ideas with practical guidance, and the updated edition adds fresh insights. I haven’t finished it yet, but it’s already a valuable reference on my shelf.

[Bohdan Hereha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first edition back in 2022, and honestly, Wilson and Tyson nailed predictions that seemed ambitious at the time but are now our reality. Just grabbed the revised edition to see what's next.
I'm floored by how clearly every process is explained - from orchestrating AI agents to building composable systems. These guys have actually built this stuff, and it shows. The material is dense but never overwhelming.
The new sections on generative AI in the software development lifecycle are exactly what I needed. I've been wrestling with how to actually implement LLMs in our workflows, and their framework for knowledge, process, and interface layers just clicked. Already started mapping our systems using their approach.
This topic couldn't be more relevant right now. We're drowning in AI hype, but this book cuts through the noise and gives you something actionable. The 2027 roadmap feels ambitious but grounded- not fearmongering, not blind optimism, just a pragmatic path forward.
If you're an architect, product owner, or dev lead trying to figure out how to actually build with AI agents (not just experiment with ChatGPT), this book is essential. Rare to find something both visionary and practical.
Absolute game-changer.

[Alexander Snitsarenko · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book's cover uses three catchy words: invisible machine, guide, and orchestration. None of these are really covered in this book, not from business, product, or engineering side.

70% of the book is just the reiteration of basic ideas from agile, product/business development, conversational and bots design, flows, software development etc. Just replace an AI/LLM term with eg a term "software" or "application", you would get no difference.

Another 20% reminds some Harari book's on AI - some "general" system, ecosystem, not yet existed, would change us forever, conquer, dominate, build a new democracy with or for us etc.

Sometimes the book feels like somebody just has taken almost all the hype and news about AI/LLM for last few years, and scattered them across all chapters, in no coherent way. The book also feels to be deliberately injected with phrases/excerpts from Gartner, less often McKinsey, and, thanks, less often TEDx, to convey some authority and credibility to the text.

The book is scarce on use cases of AI Agents, today or future ones, that will definitely operate in many domains/verticals, as if this book had been written in 2022, as its first edition was.

[Anastasiia Nedosiek · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone genuinely interested in automation, AI, and the future of digital work, I found this book both insightful and inspiring. It goes far beyond buzzwords, showing how intelligent digital workers can reshape organizations and everyday workflows. While it’s not an easy read for everyone — especially without some tech background — it offers real depth, clarity, and vision for those ready to dive in.

For me, this is one of the best works about how technology truly transforms the way we work — and I sincerely recommend it to anyone who wants to understand this topic in depth, not just on the surface.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and fun to read, expands the ideas from previous edition. It's not a guide in a sense "Do this, than that, ..., profit", and that is exactly why I find it so valuable. It's setting the general scene, and providing a big picture, that can be missed so easily in the time of rapidly changing technology.
If you are reading it, do yourself a favour and get into the Invisible Machines podcast. It's a perfect companion to the book, looking on the topic from many unexpected angles.
Chapter 4 is just pure joy - "The medium is the massage" (and no, I didn't misspell it)

[Ihor Stepanovych · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this updated edition. It goes beyond the usual AI buzzwords and explains how intelligent agents can actually make organizations smarter and more adaptive. the "self-driving organization" idea feels both practical and inspiring. It`s clear, forward-thinking and easy to read. Great for anyone leading teams or building with AI.

[Andrii Sivak · Rating 5 out of 5]

the second edition of "Age of Invisible Machines" is a great book, both from a small business owner perspective and an AI investor lens. highly recommend this book as a practical guide to agent orchestration and conversational AI 🚀

[Nataliia Iliushchenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart, practical, and inspiring. Just a great guide to the future of AI in business.