How Data, AI and advanced technology are transforming mining

How Data, AI and advanced technology are transforming mining

By Ben Chartier, Head of Product Development, MaxMine

 

The challenge & opportunity

Every industry is having to reimagine how people and machines will work together to meet tomorrow’s challenges, amid the rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and techniques. In mining, this partnership is particularly critical. The world needs more minerals in the next three decades than have been extracted in all of human history, yet traditional approaches to scaling operations are no longer sustainable.

The mining industry faces a threefold challenge. There’s increasing pressure to produce more from declining ore grades while simultaneously improving safety and reducing emissions. Many pin their hopes on emerging technologies like electrification and automation. However, these face significant hurdles in mining applications where the sheer scale of operations presents unique challenges.

A single 400-tonne mining truck consumes around 470 litres of fuel per hour on extended inclines – equivalent to the daily consumption of 200 passenger vehicles – making electrification particularly challenging. Similarly, despite over a decade of development, autonomous vehicles still only account for 3% of the world’s mining trucks.

The real opportunity lies not in waiting for future technologies, but in reimagining how we can better utilise existing assets through the power of data and AI. By enhancing the partnership between skilled operators and intelligent machines, mining companies can unlock significant value today while building the foundation for future advances. This isn’t about replacing human expertise – it’s about augmenting it with deeper insights and clearer visibility into operations.

Getting useful data – Data is the ore to AI’s processing capabilities

The relationship between data and AI in mining mirrors the relationship between ore and processing. Just as high-grade ore enables more efficient mineral extraction, high-quality operational data enables more effective AI solutions. The key is not just having more data, but having the right data at the right level of detail.

Advances in connectivity, sensor technology and data platforms are enabling mining operations to capture more useful data from processes that couldn’t previously be measured. AI systems can analyse this data to identify patterns and opportunities on parts of the mining process that have never been quantified as completely as they can be now. These innovations have the potential to drive real operational improvements.

Analyse and decide – Mining professionals powered by AI analysts

AI’s real power in mining isn’t in replacing human decision-making – it’s in enhancing it. Modern mining operations generate millions of data points daily, far more than any person or team could meaningfully analyse. This is where AI excels: sifting through this mountain of operational data to identify patterns, opportunities, and potential issues that matter. It’s like giving every mining professional a highly capable analyst who works around the clock, processing information and surfacing relevant insights exactly when they’re needed.

The goal isn’t to automate decisions but to enable better ones. When a production supervisor can instantly see how different operating patterns affect cycle times, or a maintenance planner can spot emerging equipment issues before they cause downtime, they can apply their experience and judgement more effectively.

Changing behaviour – the last mile to value

While advanced tech can reveal patterns and opportunities in mining operations, the ultimate value is only realised when these insights translate into consistent changes in day-to-day operations. The last mile in any mining technology implementation isn’t technical – it’s human.

An AI system might identify the perfect haul truck operating pattern, but it’s the operator’s understanding and application of this knowledge that turns insight into outcome. This is where many technology implementations fall short. They focus on the sophistication of the analysis but overlook the critical step of turning insights into habitual practices.

Mining done different with smarter data use

By capturing data about how equipment is operated on a granular level, down to individual machines and drivers, it’s possible to realise a range of performance improvements and cost savings that can have a critical impact on productivity and efficiency.

At the Karara Iron Ore project in Western Australia, the team are using the MaxMine mining improvement and data platform to refine operator behaviours and performance. Information is collected in granular detail on what every piece of equipment is doing at any time. This is then analysed and used to coach individual drivers to operate trucks more safely and efficiently, for example, by targeting ramp and corner speeds.

Underloading poses another challenge in the industry that surprisingly is still often not solved on many sites. It leads to unnecessary truck movements, increasing time, fuel and operational costs. By optimising loads, thousands of additional tonnes of material can be moved without incurring extra expenses.

At Karara, this smart use of data has helped to improve the average fill factor by three extra tonnes per load. With approximately 17,000 loads monthly, this translates to an additional 612,000 tons of material being moved yearly.

We’re not replacing the expertise of mining professionals – we’re amplifying it by giving them clearer visibility into their operations. This combination of AI-powered analysis and human expertise is transforming how mines operate, enabling more precise, confident decisions based on real operational evidence rather than gut feel alone.