Artificial intelligence will revolutionize the mining industry

Prime Minister Trudeau announced earlier in the month of April that the federal government would be setting aside $2.4 billion in Budget 2024 to position the country in the forefront of artificial intelligent (AI) and secure Canada’s AI advantage. This announcement is important for the mining industry, especially with all the great work being done on AI in the technology sector in Canada and how that work is finding applications in mining. However, it is not yet clear whether or how the mining sector can directly benefit from this announcement.

According to a recent survey by Gartner, 80% of executives think automation can be applied to any business decision. The survey revealed how organizations are evolving their use of AI as part of their automation strategies.

In recent years, the adoption of AI has emerged as a game changer for mining, allowing for more efficient mineral exploration, maximizing extraction by improving drilling and blasting technologies, taking automation to new levels, and dramatically improving safety and environmental monitoring. Additionally, AI can also help in mining by optimizing predictive maintenance, processes, supply chain, and operational performance.

In this issue, we cover several topics related to “Mining in the Digital Age” on pages 8 and 16-34, with a special focus on AI. For example, on page 16, the article discusses the role of mine electrification in a digital era. On page 18, Rachel Mador-House explains how new environmental technologies can help mining companies. Additionally, AI is making the unseen seen in the mining industry: alwaysAI is using AI to provide real-time visual insights into mining operations (see page 20). One of our regular contributors, Danny Parys, argues that the lack of tech talent holds mining innovation back on page 33.

In our “Mining in Canada” section, an interview with Craig Shesky, CFO of The Metals Company, sheds some light on how deep sea mining can provide metals for the green transition (see page 35). Flip to the interview on page 41 in which I discuss critical mining in British Columbia and how a recent independent study concluded that $36 billion in critical minerals investment could be at stake with Michael Goehring, president and CEO of the Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC).

If you are planning to be in Vancouver, B.C. between May 12 and 15, 2024, to attend CIM CONNECT 2024, please remember to collect a copy of this issue and visit The Northern Miner Group’s booth 707.

Finally, our June-July 2024 issue will report on water management, and we look at methods to improve the planning and results of mine closure, including a detailed look at tailings, with a special feature on pumps.

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