The Ghost in the Machine: Breaking the Efficiency Wall at Eustachian

While 2024 cases focused on how to use AI, this 2026 case focuses on how to survive it. It is the first MBA-level material to treat the “Human Soul” not as a poetic luxury, but as a defensible economic moat.

Equip your students with the 2026 vocabulary, Indexical Truth, Dark Social, and Creative Convergence, to lead the organizations that will successfully find the “Ghost” in the machine.

Description

In January 2026, the marketing world hit the “Efficiency Wall.” This case study puts your students in the high-pressure “Glass Box” boardroom of Eustachian, a consultancy that successfully automated 90% of its creative output via the AI-engine AURA, only to realize they had accidentally automated their own irrelevance.

As brand recall plummets 22% and the “Dead Internet Theory” becomes a commercial reality, students must decide: Do they continue the high-volume “Race to the Bottom,” or do they pivot to the “Human Premium,” a high-margin model where proof of humanity is the ultimate luxury good?

What’s Inside the 2026 Case Kit?

The Narrative: A compelling, business-thriller script detailing the “Triple Threat” of Job Displacement, Validation Economics, and AI Search Theft.
Immersive Artifacts:
- The “Synthetic Sheen” Audit: Visual side-by-sides of AI vs. Human creative to test student intuition.
- The “Haptic Ring” Spreadsheet: A dynamic financial model that exposes the “Infinite Cost” of AI-only churn.
- Voice of the Customer: A simulated 2026 “Dark Social” review highlighting the psychological phenomenon of Synthetic Blindness.
Detailed Teaching Plan: A 90-minute roadmap including board plans, opening hooks, and “Empathy as Literacy” philosophical deep-dives.
Quantitative Solutions: Step-by-step financial proofs for CLV, NPV, and Human Intent Alignment (HIA) ROI.