Richard Huston is the MD of VAMOS. VAMOS focuses on applied AI, helping businesses integrate AI for efficiency and decision-making.

Richard Huston addresses AI hype vs. reality, emphasising that AI is a tool, not a replacement for human expertise. Key applications include automating customer communications and reducing administrative workload but while still ensuring human oversight, so reducing time rather than replacing the human element.

Concerns around AI hallucinations are discussed including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and AI’s job impact is framed as augmentation, not elimination. He also discusses AI’s environmental footprint, arguing its benefits outweigh costs.

The episode highlights AI’s increasing accessibility, with open-source models like DeepSeek lowering costs. Richard Huston encourages experimenting with AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT.

The Asset Finance Connect European Equipment Finance Podcast is tailored for industry practitioners, featuring thought leaders in European equipment finance. Hosted by Richard O’Donohue, head of content (manufacturer captives) at Asset Finance Connect and former head of partnerships at Dell Financial Services, Ireland.

Each episode of our podcast will feature insightful interviews with Europe’s top leaders in equipment finance. The discussions will centre on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for European equipment captives, banks, and independent finance providers in 2025, offering valuable perspectives to navigate the evolving industry landscape.

In this episode host Richard talks with Mathilde Saint-Pol Cousteix who is the Managing Director of Econocom France (Technology Management and Financing). Richard and Mathilde discuss opportunities for increased partnerships between captives and financial institutions. The conversation also touched on innovation at Econocom in particular the sales agency model that they have introduced to the market.