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Artificial intelligence is ruling our world. It has created a massive buzz in the media. People react to it differently: some are interested, others are curious, or even afraid. But regardless of your reaction to this technology, various industries need it to become more productive. The mining industry is no exception.

When people talk about the mining industry, old machinery and traditional methods may pop into your head. However, you may be surprised that AI is already playing an essential role in the mining sector.

If you still have doubts about the importance of AI in the mining industry, here are six convincing reasons to help you believe.

1. Reduce Risks

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Automation is often known for its ability to minimize risks and save lives. But AI and automation usually compliment each other. Mining companies can examine the environment to predict and mitigate risks, enhancing safety and security. This technology allows miners to know the quality of the minerals and the potential risks before starting operations.

Moreover, companies that integrate artificial intelligence into their machines can enjoy fast, efficient, and innovative operations, helping them effectively avoid risks and optimize productivity. AI combined with IoT can also help diagnose and solve problems quickly and efficiently.

2. Find Potential Mining Areas

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One of the main challenges of the mining industry is finding the potential areas to mine. AI can significantly help companies identify better sites to reduce expenses. Historically, humans have done these labor-intensive and time-consuming tasks, leading to many potential errors.

But today, we can map the terrain, find potential bottlenecks, and analyze vast amounts of geological information with minimum errors. AI allows us to detect suitable locations for exploration. Overall, this increased accuracy enables us to increase efficiency and reduce exploration expenses, which results in higher ROI.

Nowadays, leading mining companies use AI to explore massive amounts of data and find new gold mines (e.g., GoldSpot company). This proves that mining companies can lead the market using this modern technology.

3. Facilitate Mineral Exploration

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Recently, gold exploration expenses have exceeded the discovery rates. Therefore, the mining industry needs to find a solution before it’s too late.

AI can be an excellent option to facilitate mineral exploration. It can help us find rich sources of minerals while reducing costs and boosting profits. Furthermore, this technology is entirely environment-friendly as it enables us to assess the biodiversity and the impact of mining operations and make decisions accordingly.

Mining companies must continuously analyze massive data sets and find the important ones. AI can be a viable option to address the issue. With this technology at hand, the mining industry can efficiently analyze geological data, which is particularly useful in mineral exploration and in providing better predictions.

4. Reducing Errors

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Frontline mineworkers will be exposed to fewer risky situations if AI is used to improve our understanding of the environment and the point of exploitation. Using big data can reduce the cost of finding new mines by up to 80%. With this technique, you essentially say goodbye to traditional methods and their complicated and costly bureaucratic processes. You could also use the derived data in future reclamation programs to reestablish the area’s natural environment.

For exploration data analysis to be valuable, however, you must overcome one of the biggest problems of machine learning: obtaining filtered and relevant data sets. It is possible to get relevant data from seismic surveys.

5. Analyze Data Easily

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Mining companies must constantly analyze immense amounts of data from tests and sensors. That’s why dealing with this data can be challenging for some organizations, which leads to reduced efficiency and costly decision-making. AI can solve this issue.

Mining companies can quickly collect data in real-time, analyze it, and make decisions accordingly. Machine learning is essential in this process.

Although we cannot underestimate the role of the human mind here (because it’s our brain that makes AI functional), AI is incredibly agile in informing people on decisions and making conclusions.

Necessarily, AI is not here to remove us from the job market. Instead, it’s here to help us shape a better future for ourselves.
Finally, the mining industry can enjoy permanent, transparent, and decentralized data by combining AI with more modern technologies like blockchain.

6. Better Health and Safety

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All industries rely on their human capital to operate effectively. The mining industry is no exception. In fact, mining companies depend on their workforce more than other sectors due to their traditional nature. Therefore, ensuring people’s health and safety is crucial here.

AI can make that happen by minimizing people’s exposure to hazardous situations and transforming the industry from a people-oriented to a process-oriented business.

For example, ThoroughTec, a leading simulation company based in South Africa, employs AI and advanced wearable sensors to check workers’ behavior. This system can detect harmful behavioral patterns quickly and suggest remedial programs in a simulation environment. Doing so allows the mining sector to increase efficiency and optimize training programs according to each worker’s needs. Plus, it can greatly improve the performance of operators and workers.

The mining industry dates back 10000 years ago. Therefore, it may seem that the industry can still survive and thrive without modern technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning. However, AI has such a profound impact on our society that all companies are involved with it now. Furthermore, this technology is entirely environment-friendly as it enables us to assess the biodiversity and the impact of mining operations and make decisions accordingly.

If you are interested in learning more about AI and its applications in the mining industry or would like to contribute to this field, visit THIS LINK to explore further information and get involved.

Sources:

https://www.axora.com/insights/artificial-intelligence-five-ways-ai-is-disrupting-the-mining-industry/

AI Is Changing Mining. Are You Ready?

https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/Energy-and-Resources/deloitte-norcat-future-mining-with-ai-web.pdf