Governing the Machine: How to navigate the risks of AI and unlock its true potential by Ray Eitel-Porter, Dr Paul Dongha and Miriam Vogel has been named Specialist Business Book 2026 at The Business Book Awards. The book, published by Bloomsbury Business, was recognised at the awards ceremony at The Drum, Wembley, London, where it was selected as the winner in the Specialist Business Book category. The 2026 awards featured their largest-ever shortlist, with 130 books from around the world shortlisted, reflecting the growing importance of business publishing and practical expertise in a rapidly changing world.
The award comes as organisations face increasing pressure to adopt generative AI and AI agents while managing the legal, operational, ethical and reputational risks that come with them. The Amazon best-seller, Governing the Machine, addresses this challenge by providing a practical framework for organisations seeking to use AI responsibly while still capturing its transformative potential. Drawing on the authors’ combined experience across business, financial services, technology, policy and AI governance, the book examines nine core categories of AI risk: accuracy and reliability; fairness and bias; interpretability, explainability and transparency; accountability; privacy; security; intellectual property and confidentiality; workforce; and environment and sustainability. Rather than treating AI governance as a barrier to innovation, the authors argue that effective governance is what enables organisations to adopt AI with confidence. The book offers a step-by-step approach designed to help organisations of different sizes and levels of AI maturity establish governance that can adapt as the technology, regulatory environment and use cases evolve.
Ray Eitel-Porter, Dr Paul Dongha and Miriam Vogel bring complementary perspectives to the challenge. Eitel-Porter advises multinational companies and the public sector on AI governance and responsible AI, having previously led Accenture’s global Responsible AI program. Dongha leads Responsible AI and AI Strategy at NatWest Group and holds a PhD in AI agent technology from the University of Manchester. Vogel is President and CEO of EqualAI and served as inaugural Chair of the US National AI Advisory Committee.
Rather than adding to the hype or fear that can surround AI, Governing the Machine takes a practical, evidence-based approach to the challenges organisations face, helping leaders understand how to manage risk while creating the conditions for responsible innovation. The authors argue that effective governance should not be a barrier to AI adoption, but a foundation for using the technology with greater confidence.
On the win, Ray Eitel-Porter said: “We are delighted that Governing the Machine has been recognised by The Business Book Awards. AI governance is sometimes presented as something that slows innovation down, but our experience is the opposite. Good governance gives organisations the confidence and clarity to use AI well. This award is a wonderful recognition of the importance of making responsible AI practical and accessible to the people who are actually deploying it.”
Dr Paul Dongha said: “AI is moving from experimentation into the core of how organisations operate. That makes governance an increasingly important business discipline, not simply a technical or compliance exercise. We wrote Governing the Machine to help leaders navigate that transition in a practical way, and we are thrilled that the Business Book Awards has recognised the contribution the book makes to the conversation.”
Winning the award marks a significant milestone for Governing the Machine, recognising its practical approach to the challenges facing business leaders, technologists, policymakers and governance professionals as AI reshapes modern business.
