Tag Archives: artificial intellgence

BHP targets more mineral discoveries with SensOre JTA pact

Base metals, IoT, Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , ,

SensOre says it has welcomed a wholly-owned subsidiary of BHP as a client for its Data Cube and Discriminant Predictive Targeting® (DPT®) technology.

SensOre and BHP reached agreement on a Letter of Intent in May 2020 and confirmed this in a Joint-Targeting Agreement (JTA) on September 18, SensOre said.

The JTA envisages a phased process training the DPT technology on commodity-specific deposit types and applying the knowledge gained to a pre-determined search space. SensOre stands to benefit through fees for the targeting exercise and potential success-based payments on certain discoveries resulting from the technology, it explained.

Richard Taylor, CEO of SensOre, said: “The JTA is a very positive development for SensOre that has come to fruition over many months of discussion.

“The vast data challenge of cleaning and integrating massive geoscience datasets has in the past been an obstacle to applying big data and machine learning advances to mineral exploration. Through agreements like this, we believe SensOre’s DPT technology will be part of a new wave of discovery in mature markets.”

SensOre aims to become the top performing minerals targeting company in the world through the deployment of artificial intelligence and machine-learning technologies, specifically its DPT workflow. SensOre collects all available geological information in a terrane and places it in a multi-dimensional hypercube or Data Cube, with its big data approach allowing DPT predictive analytics to accurately predict known endowment and generate targets for further discovery, it says.

SensOre recently committed to a joint project with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation looking at automation and efficiency in big data cleaning and processing solutions for the mineral resource sector.

Microsoft urges South Africa miners to adopt digital solutions in recovery plans

Automation, IoT, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , ,

Microsoft South Africa says it is working with its partner ecosystem and customers to showcase the power of technology, particularly AI and cloud technologies, in helping the country’s mining industry accelerate digital transformation to “reimagine new and better ways of working, drive sustainable recovery, and transform mining communities”.

This follows the launch of Microsoft’s Mining Core – AI Centre of Excellence for Mining facility in Johannesburg earlier this month. The Mining Core, which is the first of its kind in South Africa, makes use of the company’s extensive partner ecosystem. “It allows customers to immerse themselves in emerging technologies to build and create solutions that not only overcome specific business challenges but also broadly enable the sector to grow and prosper,” Microsoft said.

Amr Kamel, Enterprise Director at Microsoft South Africa, explained the industry’s importance to South Africa: “Mining is a critical industry in South Africa, and has historically been a major contributor to the country’s GDP, tax revenue and employment: last year alone, the mining sector employed over 450 000 people, contributed ZAR24.3 billion ($1.5 billion) in taxes and ZAR360.9 billion to GDP.”

The sector has faced challenges in recent years. These include declining output, weakening global cost competitiveness based on the volatility of commodity prices, regulatory uncertainty and unreliable energy supply, according to a report by the country’s Minerals Council.

Combined with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear the sector needs solutions that help it regain its competitiveness and become a key contributor and driver of economic recovery in the wake of the pandemic.

Technology holds the key to achieving those goals, according to Microsoft.

“Accelerated digital transformation, and the introduction of solutions through emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and data analytics, have the power to help the industry adapt, reinvent and transform in a sustainable and responsible way,” it said.

Kamel added: “Together with our partner ecosystem, we are working to help our customers to navigate three phases – response, recovery, and reimagine – in order to maintain continuity, remain open, drive operational performance and create new business models even in the most difficult of circumstances.”

These solutions, which are conceptualised and built collaboratively, are anchored in four main areas: community services and social impact; health and safety; environment; and responsible digital transformation.

  • Community involvement and engagement is vital for mining companies, and these organisations can use technology to play an important part in empowering surrounding communities, Microsoft says. This includes building critical digital literacy skills that will help the employability of community members, as well as introducing solutions in areas like healthcare, education, agriculture and community support services;
  • Emerging technologies can also help with health and safety, which is always a priority but particularly so in the face of a pandemic. Introducing solutions using technologies like autonomous systems such as drones, drills and vehicles, cognitive services and video analytics for safety management, such as detecting if a worker is wearing a hardhat or protective clothing, can make an impact. These kinds of technologies can also be used to support and manage health and safety protocols related to the pandemic, including social distancing and hygiene measures, Microsoft says;
  • Mining companies are also increasingly using digital solutions to enable sustainable recovery and decrease their environmental footprint, using them to reduce water consumption, waste and work towards being carbon neutral or even carbon negative. A growing trend is companies operating in coal, specifically, pivoting to renewables; and
  • Above all, solutions that are introduced need to have responsible digital transformation and AI at their heart. “Responsible AI needs good guiding principles to ensure that systems are fair, reliable and safe, private and secure, inclusive, transparent and accountable, and we use our rich partner ecosystem to help with this,” Kamel said.

He concluded: “Digital is the future of mining, and the question now is how quickly companies in the sector can transform to drive growth. This requires partnering with technology companies like Microsoft to reimagine solutions that address specific business challenges and improve operational performance and efficiencies.”

IntelliSense.io joins OTCSA to help tackle cyber security issues in mining

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

IntelliSense.io has joined the Operational Technology Cyber Security Alliance (OTCSA) to further its aim of providing miners with a safer future with secure optimisation technology that can leverage both operational technology (OT) and cloud environments.

IntelliSense.io has been securely deploying artificial intelligence-based based process optimisation applications on OT networks for its customers globally and, it says, has a future-proof platform.

The OTCSA aims to bridge any dangerous gaps in security for OT and information technology (IT) systems, critical infrastructure and industrial control systems to support and improve the daily lives of citizens and workers in a rapidly evolving world, IntelliSense.io says.

“The convergence of OT and IT networks is exposing industrial control, protection and automation systems to external threats, as seen in the recent past with malwares like Triton, that attacked an oil and gas plant, and in Ukraine, that had its power grid taken down by a cyberattack,” Dr Sandro Barros, CTO, IntelliSense.io, said. “IntelliSense.io has extensive experience on the deployment of AI applications within OT/IT networks and is eager to add its expertise to developing best practices for secure and reliable solutions for the mining industry.”

Elad Ben-Meir, Executive Board Member of the OTCSA and CEO of SCADAfence, said: “We welcome intelliSense.io as the newest member to the OTCSA. As we witness more and more attacks on critical infrastructure, and predictions by Gartner that 75% of CEOs will be personally liable for cyber-physical security incidents by 2024, there is no doubt that the collaboration like we have in OTCSA is the key to success.”

The OTCSA mission is five-fold:

  • Strengthen cyber-physical risk posture of OT environments and interfaces for OT/IT interconnectivity;
  • Guide OT operators on how to protect their OT infrastructure based on a risk management process and reference architectures/designs that are demonstrably compliant with regulations and international standards such as IEC 62443;
  • Guide OT suppliers on secure OT system architectures, relevant interfaces and security functionalities;
  • Support the procurement, development, installation, operation, maintenance, and implementation of a safer, more secure critical infrastructure; and
  • Shorten the time to adoption of safer, more secure critical infrastructures.

The robust security guidelines of the OTCSA which IntelliSense.io will contribute to, cover the entire mining life cycle – procurement, development, deployment, installation, operation, maintenance and decommission – and address aspects related to people, process, and technology.

OTCSA promotes collaboration among leading IT and OT companies, thought leaders in the cybersecurity community, and vendors and OT operators from a variety of industries. Membership is open to any company that operates critical infrastructure or general OT systems to run its business as well as companies providing IT and OT solutions.

KPMG KIC winner proposes new way to improve mineral extraction

Environmental, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , ,

A team from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) has been crowned champions of KPMG’s KPMG Ideation Challenge (KIC) 2020 for developing a solution that brings disruptive innovation to the mining industry.

The solution, KPMG says, could help enable safer and more sustainable extraction of minerals and metals.

The 17th annual KIC took place on August 24-25, 2020, with the hackathon-style competition taking place virtually for the first time. It gathered both science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and business students to help solve real-world business issues with artificial intelligence and other emerging technology-based tools and solutions.

Out of more than 8,000 applicants across 19 countries, 17 student teams were chosen from 500 leading universities to advance to the final phase of the event. The top three finalist teams were the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) from Dhanbad, India, Zhejiang University in China, and University of Florida in the US.

Team NAVACHARITAM (Technology Replaces Repetitiveness) from the Indian Institute of Technology was announced as the KIC winner.

The team’s solution, which used a custom algorithm, sensor imaging and drone technology, is designed to more precisely pinpoint the exact location of minerals to be extracted, resulting in considerable reductions of air pollution, time and cost, as well as improvements to worker safety. The winning team members (pictured above) are: Sanchit Kumar, Varnika Kumari, Parth Hetamsaria and Srajan Gupta. The team is currently in the process of patenting their solution.

Phil Thornley, Partner with KPMG Australia and a Lead Practitioner with KPMG’s Global Lighthouse Center of Excellence for Data, AI and Emerging Technologies, said: “The panel of judges selected the student team from the Indian Institute of Technology because they addressed a problem with global relevance – safety and sustainability in the mining industry – and developed a solution that was commercially and technically viable. This technology shows great promise; it has the potential to offer significant safety, environmental and cost benefits.”

The winning team will receive $50,000 in seed funding to bring their idea to market with coaching and guidance from KPMG professionals. All participating teams retain intellectual property rights for their ideas and solutions, according to KPMG.

Nokia’s Jadoul on keeping miners safe amid COVID-19

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining industry recognition, Mining people, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Workplace safety is a major objective of every mining company on the planet, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time perhaps, the primary danger may simply be getting too close while talking to our fellow team members, Marc Jadoul*, Strategic Marketing Director at Nokia, says.

In the mining industry, we are going to have to adapt our business practices to accommodate the current pandemic, and we have to be better prepared for similar events in the future. The pandemic has led to a re-thinking of certain safety protocols, procedures and personal protection, and it is accelerating the adoption of recent innovations that will improve workplace safety in other ways as well.

As the world has re-opened the economy, organisations such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the US and the World Health Organization (WHO) have published recommendations for how to operate manufacturing and other business operations while still practicing social distancing and other aspects of workplace safety. These include having office employees telework where possible, staggering shifts to reduce the number of workers using lunch, break and washrooms at the same time, increasing physical space between employees in the workplace, wearing masks and even downsizing operations if necessary.

Given COVID-19’s ability to be spread by individuals who do not show symptoms, it is generally acknowledged that tracking contacts will be a key way to identify those who might have been exposed to a sick employee. Knowing the cost to the business of having to shut down a facility due to illness, management will need to work with public health authorities to implement practices that allow for the quick identification of suspected contacts, allow for testing and quarantine of workers in the case of an outbreak in their operation and, in some jurisdictions, be able to show compliance with these practices.

Marc Jadoul, Strategic Marketing Director at Nokia

The technologies needed to do this are not so far away. In fact, they already exist in industries where operating environments have residual risks or require robust control measures in ways that are similar to what will be needed to protect people from contracting the virus. Some of these practices have already been implemented in mines as well as nuclear facilities and high-tech chip fabricators. With some adaptation, it is not hard to see how these technologies can be adapted more broadly to make the mine workplace of the future nearly virus-free.

From a larger safety management perspective, the ultimate goal is to create a real-time, dynamic picture of what is happening with people, assets and environmental conditions at all times – what is known as ‘situational awareness’. It is crucial for conducting forensic analysis to understand the pattern of interactions and identify possible transmission paths so as to limit exposure and trigger remediation protocols, including testing and quarantining. Much of this already exists, but simply needs to be adapted to the current outbreak.

The ultimate objective of situational awareness is having 360° visibility of people, assets, infrastructure and environmental conditions. Because what you don’t see, you can’t manage. Which is important, not only for saving lives, but also for preventing productivity losses and increasing operational efficiency.

This full digital awareness of everything going on in the workplace is the main thrust of Industry 4.0, which brings together several technology streams: low-powered IoT sensors, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, edge computing and next-generation wireless connectivity. These technologies combine to allow for the automation of repetitive processes, improved efficiency of operations, preventative maintenance of assets, quality control and enhanced situational awareness.

Applying these technologies to deal with COVID-19 will help to solve many of the new workplace constraints identified above. For instance, there are types of digital smart personal protective equipment (PPE) that incorporate wearable sensors and communications devices. They communicate with the operations control centre and could be used to trace employee movements, enforce geo-fenced areas deemed too dangerous for entry, or sense environmental contaminants and warn employees who have had excessive exposure to leave the area and follow decontamination protocols.

With some small adjustments, smart PPE and wearables could be deployed in many operations to enforce safe distancing between employees, using software to digitally map out work zones. They could warn employees when they are entering crowded areas or no-go zones. They could improve safety and efficiency during mustering and evacuation. And they could also enable management to forensically track past exposure of employees to those who have tested positive for the virus.

With the ongoing spread of COVID-19, mining companies need to find ways to enforce physical distancing among miners in order to keep operations open and miners safe

If sifting through location data for all the employees in a large mine sounds like a nightmare, this is where AI comes to the rescue. Sophisticated analytics software already exists that can analyse location data to look for correlations. It isn’t much of a stretch to adapt this software to smart PPE data that tracks worker movements in the facility – as long as unions and laws allow for it. This kind of software also exists to analyse video footage from CCTV cameras. All of this analysis can be used to trace infection vectors and to re-assure health authorities that protocols are being enforced on the job site.

One of the important enablers of Industry 4.0 use cases is the existence of highly reliable, secure wireless connectivity. The key to end-to-end awareness of operations is ubiquitous connectivity. Because of privacy concerns, that connectivity should be very secure. To support video and the large amount of data that can be generated within a fully automated facility, it also has to have bandwidth capacity as well as be able to support low latency edge computing. Geo-positioning and geo-fencing services for employees and mobile machines need more precise coordinates than can be provided by GPS – and need to work underground and in-building as well as on surface.

Delivering all these essential capabilities is fortunately available with today’s 4.9G/LTE and tomorrow’s 5G industrial wireless networks. Early generation wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi, were designed for connectivity to best-effort networks. They are not highly reliable, secure or capable of providing mobility and geo-positioning services. Cellular-based 4G services, on the other hand, have been used in public mobile networks for a decade and have never been compromised. 5G is designed to be even more secure and has a number of features, like ultra-low latency, that are specifically intended for industrial automation use cases.

COVID-19 is likely to be a reality we have to live with for several years. If we are lucky and develop a vaccine quickly, it may be a short-term problem. But the scientists have been warning us about the possibility of pandemics of this nature for decades. This will not be the last. The good news is that the same Industry 4.0 technologies that are transforming our workplaces can be harnessed in this fight. Industrial IoT, edge computing, AI/machine learning and industrial-strength wireless networking will play a key role in ensuring the safety of our workers and our ability to come out of this crisis stronger than before.

*Marc Jadoul leads Nokia’s marketing efforts for the mining industry, working with key stakeholders across the business to evangelise digital technologies for creating safer, more efficient and productive mines

SensOre and CSIRO to clean up exploration datasets for AI algorithms

Automation, IoT, Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

SensOre has commenced a joint project with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) looking at automation and efficiency in big data cleaning and processing solutions for the mineral resource sector.

Access to high-quality datasets has, in the past, been an obstacle to applying cutting-edge predictive analytics to solve geoscience and mineral exploration problems, according to SensOre.

The joint project, which will confront this problem, will see several CSIRO data science experts embedded within SensOre over the next six months.

SensOre says it aims to become the top performing minerals targeting company in the world through the deployment of artificial intelligence and machine-learning technologies, specifically its Discriminant Predictive Targeting® workflow.

“SensOre is committed to world-leading mineral exploration research and development,” Richard Taylor, CEO and Director of SensOre, said. “This is the second time SensOre has worked with CSIRO and the engagement has led to order of magnitude improvements in our approach. Australian government support, such as the Kick Start initiative, is important for Australian technology companies looking to grow globally.”

The joint project benefits from CSIRO’s Kick Start initiative for innovative Australian start-ups, providing funding support and access to CSIRO’s research expertise. The program offers eligible businesses matched funding of up to A$50,000 ($34,681) to undertake research activities.

Plotlogic raises profile and funds with BHP Iron Ore contract

Automation, IoT, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining services, Mining software, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Australia-based Plotlogic and its artificial intelligence-based ore-characterisation technology has won admirers from both venture capital funds and the world’s biggest miner by market capitalisation.

The company announced this week that four of the world’s top artificial intelligence (AI) focused venture capital funds – Baidu Ventures, DCVC, 8VC, and Grids Capital – had invested in an over-subscribed angel round of funding for the company.

On top of this, Plotlogic confirmed it had signed its first contract to embed OreSense, its new AI ore characterisation technology, into an iron ore mine site of BHP’s in the Pilbara of Western Australia. This technology uses hyperspectral analysis and AI to optimise ore recovery on mine sites.

Plotlogic’s vision is to enable autonomous mining operations using precise grade control with its new AI ore-characterisation technology, bringing technology that can “see and grade ore” to optimise operations and maximise yield, it said.

“Plotlogic uses AI, computer vision and spectral analysis in real time to optimise the recovery of ore from mine sites,” the company said. “Accurate ore intelligence enables precision mining that lowers operating costs, minimises energy consumption and reduces operational uncertainty.”

Precision mining with the help of technologies like OreSense have the potential to increase worldwide industry value by $370 billion/y, according to Plotlogic, while reducing carbon emissions and improving the sustainability of mines over their life cycle.

Founder and CEO, Andrew Job, said: “The mining industry is years behind other industries in utilising big data and AI: as a result, there is a lack of fast and accurate orebody knowledge that ultimately restricts yield. With our technology we can grade every tonne of ore accurately, before it even leaves the ground – driving efficiency, sustainability, and profitability. Plotlogic can optimise the mining process from pit-to-port with pinpoint precision.”

The team behind the technology, in addition to mining engineer Job, include Dr Richard Murphy, one of the world’s leading experts in hyperspectral geology, and Dr Michael Edgar, an experienced physicist and expert in optical sensors with experience spanning NASA and CalTech. Plotlogic has more than doubled its workforce since the start of the year, plans to double again before the end of the year, and once again next year, the company said.

Plotlogic said research collaborations with the University of Queensland’s Smart Machines Group and the Mineral Research Institute of Western Australia aided its quick establishment as a leader in real time high precision ore mapping and modelling.

Job said successful field trials with BHP’s iron ore and coal divisions, AngloGold Ashanti and Citic Pacific Mining over the past three years had provided valuable learnings that improved the technology and value proposition of OreSense across the iron ore, gold and coal sectors.

“Our technology has been purpose designed and built from the ground to best meet industry requirements,” he said.

On the BHP Iron Ore contract, Job said: “The opportunity to partner with the world’s biggest mining company is instrumental to our collaborative approach in the development and implementation of new technology for the mining industry.”

IMDEX symposium sets the exploration scene for AME Roundup

IoT, Mineral exploration, Mining events, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

IMDEX recently held its fifth annual Xploration Technology Symposium in Vancouver, Canada, in which virtual reality, machine learning and new exploration technologies all received significant airtime.

The event, held on January 17, came ahead of AME’s annual Mineral Exploration Roundup, also held in Vancouver, on January 20-23. It saw 16 speakers and 160 attendees turn up.

IMDEX, which has a suite of drilling optimisation products to improve the process of identifying and extracting mineral resources globally, said the event covered multi-element data, artificial intelligence for mineral exploration and exploration instrumentation, along with a series of case studies. The focus was on improving and driving innovation in the mining industry and providing a platform to share big ideas, new technologies and new processes in exploration.

International consulting practice, SRK, had Principal Structural Geologist, Wayne Barnett, present on virtual-mixed reality, where he discussed augmented visual powers to automatically measure surface orientations and how this technology is changing best practices in data collection and analysis, IMDEX said.

Professor Bern Klein, of the University of British Columbia, meanwhile, discussed industry research to optimise value and ensure worker safety in deep underground mass mining operations.

The use of machine learning for mineral exploration in greenfield areas was discussed by GoldSpot Discoveries Corp Chief Operating Officer, Vincent Dube-Bourgeois, during the session on artificial intelligence.

Among the exploration case studies was one from Chris Gallagher, Rogue Geoscience President, a company that has been instrumental in developing several exploration technologies and geological data management systems used in the industry today, according to IMDEX.

And, Nick Payne, Global Product Manager Structural Geology at IMDEX, in his presentation ‘A New Wave of Drilling Optimisation’, discussed new technologies IMDEX COREVIBE and IMDEX XTRACTA – which, he says, offer substantial improvements in safety and productivity.

Worley to leverage Arundo’s AI capabilities for EPC work

Automation, IoT, Mining services, Mining software, , , ,

Worley, an EPC energy, chemicals and resources sector leader, and software company, Arundo, have launched The Data Refinery, a hub for applied data science and machine learning solutions.

“The Data Refinery combines Worley’s industry experience with the software and data science expertise of Arundo,” the companies said. Its focus is to bridge the gaps among operations, data science and information technology to help industrial companies transform their businesses through data-driven decisions. “This ultimately helps companies increase revenue, reduce costs, and improve uptime, as well as reduce safety and environmental risks,” they said.

For the past several months, joint teams from Worley and Arundo have used The Data Refinery, located in downtown Houston, Texas, as a space to incubate and develop analytics applications that meet the needs of Worley and its customers.

“There’s never been a more exciting time for the energy and resources market as it moves towards a greater reliance on artificial intelligence and machine learning,” said Bradley Andrews, President, Digital at Worley. “Arundo is at the forefront of data science and machine learning technology, delivering value to companies in 90 days or less. By harnessing our industry and asset experience with their proven technology, The Data Refinery helps companies identify the right problems to solve and gives them the confidence to embed artificial intelligence and machine learning into their operations.”

The first product launched via The Data Refinery is DataSeer, a product that automates the extraction of information from piping and instrumentation diagrams, isometric drawings, and other engineering diagrams.

“Using deep learning and computer vision techniques, DataSeer can recognise all instances of specific instruments, valves, lines, and other features in a diagram in just seconds,” the companies said. This has immediate applications in bid production and project estimation.

In addition, DataSeer can improve digital representations of physical systems, and help industrial companies create relevant, usable digital twins for a variety of advanced analytics and operational applications.

Stuart Morstead, Arundo President & COO, said: “With DataSeer, users are already seeing a reduction in manual processing time of up to 90%. At the same time, accuracy is increasing, enabling significant improvement across a variety of project engineering use cases.

“Worley and Arundo believe this capability can significantly improve core EPC processes, major projects at industrial companies, and the management of engineering diagrams at any company with both legacy and new specifications.”

Concurrent with the launch of the DataSeer application, Worley is also launching DataSeer Managed Service for customers seeking the turnkey digitisation of legacy industrial drawings.

GMG helping miners leverage machine learning

Automation, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

The Global Mining Guidelines Group (GMG) has published a new whitepaper that, it hopes, will better equip mining companies to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning technologies.

The Foundations of AI: A Framework for AI in Mining offers an overview of the process of planning for and implementing AI solutions for mining companies, GMG said.

GMG explained: “AI-based innovation is being used increasingly in the mining industry as a means to improve processes and decision-making, derive value from data and increase safety, but the levels of operational maturity are variable across the industry.

“Though many mining stakeholders are adopting AI, there is still uncertainty about the technology and how it can be harnessed in the mining industry.”

This white paper – developed collaboratively through workshops, conference calls and online collaboration tools – addresses a variety of concerns, such as the challenge of establishing data infrastructure, apprehensions about the effect on the workforce and worries about failure after investing substantial time and funds into an AI project, GMG said. “It offers a realistic strategy for building a foundation for planning, implementing and moving forward with AI.”

The primary audience is those in charge of introducing or expanding the use of AI in mining companies, according to GMG.

Rob Johnston, Project Manager at CITIC Pacific Mining and GMG AI Project Leader, says: “There has been a recent explosion in the application of AI in industry, and this document aims to assist mining companies to fully embrace this exciting technology and drive business value.”

Having this information available will also help cut through the hype that surrounds AI, according to GMG.

Andrew Scott, GMG Vice-Chair Working Groups and Principal Innovator at Symbiotic Innovations, said: “Although mining stakeholders generally recognise the value of understanding the technology, many are intimidated by the concept and see expertise in AI as a very specialised knowledge set, so this will help them start off on the right foot.”

This document will also be useful for those who are part of the ecosystem that surrounds mining companies, which comprises those assisting in applying the technology, culture and safety considerations and regulatory frameworks that are necessary for a successful AI strategy, according to GMG.

Speaking from his perspective as a solution provider, Kevin Urbanski, CTO at Rithmik Solutions, says the white paper will provide “current and future customers with a macro view of artificial intelligence and related solutions”, while helping mining operations to “identify opportunities to apply these powerful algorithms within their organisations.”

He added: “Mining companies know best what their needs are, and this document will help them match those needs with what’s possible.”

Urbanski thinks the document will also help to standardise communications around the technology, saying it will “provide great level-setting, ensuring that we and our customers are speaking the same language when talking about AI”.

Johnston, meanwhile, says that while this publication is an important step, the document will be reviewed and updated as needed: “The field of AI moves so fast that this will be a document that will be updated regularly in order to remain relevant to the industry.”