LLMs in 2026: What’s Happening and What It Means for Business With Richard Bownes, Head of AI Solutions at Vector8

What’s actually happening with LLMs in 2026 and what does it mean for business leaders?In this episode of A Class Act, Michael is joined by Richard Bownes, Head of AI Solutions at Vector8, for a discussion on how large language models are evolving and why the biggest shift isn’t capability, but consistency, reliability, and system design.Rather than chasing the next capability jump, Richard explains why we’re seeing a slowdown in headline performance gains alongside an improvement in consistency and reliability.In this conversation, Richard shares:What's really happening with LLM development right now in 2026Why the enterprise production lens matters: the trade-off between brilliant but unstable outputs and reliable, predictable systems.Richard’s practical map of the stack: naked LLM calls → workflows → tool calling → MCP servers → agent skills (and what each step is designed to solve)“Stateful” AI explained clearlyThe organisational gap Richard flags as adoption scales that leaders must be aware of right nowGuest informationRichard Bownes is Head of AI Solutions at Vector8, where he helps organisations design and deploy practical AI systems that move beyond experimentation into real-world business impact. He’s worked across public and private sector environments, bridging strategy, delivery, and real-world implementation. His experience spans Voice AI systems, applied NLP, and the ethical considerations that come with deploying machine learning at scale.Connect with Richard Bownes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjbownes/About Your Host:  Michael Young is the Managing Director of MBN Solutions and host of A Class Act: Conversations in Data & Leadership. With nearly two decades of experience helping organisations build high-performing data, analytics, and AI teams, he brings frontline insight into what makes exceptional talent and leadership.Please note: The views expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not reflect those of their current or former employers.Subscribe & Follow: Enjoying the series? Don’t miss an episode. Follow A Class Act wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review to help more listeners discover these conversations in data and leadership.Connect with MBN Solutions:If you’re hiring for data or AI leadership roles, scaling AI capability, or rethinking how talent supports your AI strategy, the team at NBN partners with organisations to build data and AI teams that actually deliver.MBN Solutions on LinkedIn – Explore industry updates, groundbreaking projects, and the latest in data and analytics talent. Join the conversation and discover how MBN Solutions is shaping the future of data leadership. Visit the company page here : https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbn-recruitment-solutionsFor questions, guest recommendations, or to connect:Email: [email protected] MBN Solutions website at www.mbnsolutions.com