Solving the AI Adoption Challenges for Mining Companies

One of the oldest known professions and also considered one of the most dangerous, Mining is now nothing like it used to be. The face of the mining industry has changed drastically. We no longer rely on physical hand and animal labor. Artificial Intelligence has stepped in. There is a lot going on.
Modern mines are sophisticated and machine-intensive environments. Whether we are extracting minerals and ores or gas, we need machines to extract, transport, refine, and move them to their destinations. AI is enabling the mining industry to be a safer and more profitable industry.

How AI Is Transforming The Mining Industry

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is driving innovation in the mining industry by transforming the way mines operate today. The mining industry is constantly looking out for ways to improve safety, productivity, and sustainability.
AI helps achieve these key factors by collecting data and using relevant information to optimize processes and improve equipment development. AI proves particularly useful when it comes to cumbersome and operations-heavy processes.
The use of AI can make operations and machinery even more sustainable in the long run.
Watch now: 5 Steps to Prepare Your Organization for an AI-enabled Future!

Benefits Of AI In Mining

Mining companies must become more efficient and innovative. This will help them keep their workers safe, mitigate their environmental footprint and remain competitive. AI plays a vital role in this. Here are some advantages of AI integration in the mining industry:

1. Improve resource discovery and planning 

The initial investment in mining can be very costly. The company must know precisely where and how to dig. A wrong location can cost millions of dollars. AI can help learn about the terrain they are working with and precisely map out and predict terrain better than any humans can do, effectively preventing those errors.
Artificial Intelligence can analyze vast amounts of data to find better resources. Better predictions will contribute to better planning and a better return on investment.

2. Cost optimization

Cost optimization is the primary motivation for mining companies to use AI. AI can analyze big data to help diggers conduct their operations more cost-effectively. It can also help them develop efficiency along these lines.
Mining companies can use the data collected to teach their machinery and prevent damage. AI can help automate different operational processes. It can also enable remotization that can substantially reduce labor, increase productivity and safety of workers. This can greatly reduce costs and increase productivity gains.

3. Preventive maintenance

Reactive maintenance can cost six to ten times more than predictive maintenance. On the other hand, predictive maintenance eliminates the risk of production halts ensuring operational continuity.
Furthermore, preventive maintenance makes it easier to maintain security protocol.  It helps in the early detection of wear and tear of important pieces of equipment. This can help workers to predict and plan repairs and maintenance.

4. Reduces environmental footprint

Mining by nature has a negative environmental impact. While it is not possible to completely eliminate the impact of mining, AI-monitored devices are capable of instantly analyzing and interpreting enormous amounts of sensor data. These systems can help you locate patterns that may be of concern.
AI can provide greater value and reliability to the industry while increasing safety and reducing negative environmental impact. It can optimize dust control measures for haul roads by helping workers to apply the right doses of dust control additives at the right time in the right way.
This will also reduce associated water, additives, energy, and other factors by 50%. This is in addition to preventing road maintenance frequency, avoiding accidents, and loss of productivity.

5. Enhanced decision-making process

In the mining industry every second counts. When there is a breakdown, administrators cannot afford to lose time waiting for an engineer to arrive. Thankfully, AI enables administrators to obtain valuable insight in real-time and automate part of the decision-making process. These insights allow them to respond promptly and appropriately.

Why Do Mining Companies Still Hesitate To Adopt AI?

There is no doubt that AI holds immense promise for the future of the mining industry. However, some mining companies still hesitate in adopting AI. As with the adoption of any technology, if not implemented properly, AI adoption can be difficult, time-consuming, and costlier than anticipated. Here are some AI adoption challenges and solutions:
Resources: Every business is concerned with budget and return on investment (ROI). As legacy technology does not support AI, companies need to invest in compatible infrastructure that is agile, flexible, and scalable. Opting for cloud-based services can negate the huge costs of investing in newer servers and processors.  Plus, it is a good idea to start small and scale up. It is also important to avoid unnecessary AI tools.
Industry culture: Leadership and culture that promotes experimentation and strategies will result in a more dynamic and scalable environment.
Lack of talent: AI technology is complex. Companies must thus look for people with the right mindset to help facilitate changes and capitalize on opportunities.
Governance: Only when leaders understand how AI fits into their business model can they encourage AI adoption.
Read more: Answering The Top Burning Questions On AI Implementation for Businesses!

How Can Fingent Help Resolve These Challenges And Transit To AI Capabilities At Ease?

Fingent has been at the forefront of leveraging the power of AI to empower leaders with the benefits of root-cause analysis and predictive insights. Our AI is built with the core philosophy of congruence between humans and machine capabilities.
Fingent can help deploy user-centric designs to enhance operational and machine reliability. We consider technology as an ally to enhance human intelligence and capabilities. Hence, our AI models can help solve many challenges that the mining industry faces.
Our AI solutions enable businesses to analyze voluminous, real-time data. Additionally, these solutions can also diagnose bottlenecks with the help of real-time monitoring and AI-powered predictive insights.
Fingent’s AI solutions can increase your productivity, reduce industrial waste, and enhance machine reliability. We can also help minimize the ecological impact of the mining industry while ensuring the safety of mineworkers.
We know that in the mining industry, each rock crushed is money saved or lost. We at Fingent understand that the mining industry needs to open up to modern operational practices that promote efficiency.  Our AI solutions are powerful enablers to help your get there. Let’s discuss how we can assist you.