Slashdot Mirror
Miners Say They Dig AI But the Gold Rush Hasn't Come (wsj.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: The chairman of Barrick Gold Corp made a bold prediction in late 2017: With the help of artificial intelligence and other digital tools, the world's largest gold miner would become a technology company that just happened to be in mining. A year later, Barrick has parted ways with its chief innovation officer, chief digital officer and many of the team tasked with making this transformation a reality, according to people familiar with the matter.
The revolution in machine learning, as predicted by Barrick Chairman John Thornton and other mining executives, has yet to come. Miners have said digital technologies like artificial intelligence, or AI, will revolutionize one of the world's oldest industries in the same way it has changed other businesses, from retail to hailing a cab. Some experts say the promise of AI in mining has been overhyped and progress has been slow. Companies, including Barrick and giants such as Rio Tinto and BHP Group, are running some AI-led projects. But implementation at some companies has hit cultural hurdles. Executives haven't always engaged, projects have taken longer than expected and companies have turned to other ways to modernize operations.
The revolution in machine learning, as predicted by Barrick Chairman John Thornton and other mining executives, has yet to come. Miners have said digital technologies like artificial intelligence, or AI, will revolutionize one of the world's oldest industries in the same way it has changed other businesses, from retail to hailing a cab. Some experts say the promise of AI in mining has been overhyped and progress has been slow. Companies, including Barrick and giants such as Rio Tinto and BHP Group, are running some AI-led projects. But implementation at some companies has hit cultural hurdles. Executives haven't always engaged, projects have taken longer than expected and companies have turned to other ways to modernize operations.
SPACE is where all the mining will happen in the future!!
CROFLOL!!!!
You can't "A.I." your way into finding more gold.
You're looking in the wrong place
Rip Trump's tiny treasonous bitch arms off and use them as dowsing rods. Just as effective, much more satisfying.
a buddy of mine was pretty pissed because he'd been trying to get a job driving truck at the mine for years. It (used to) pay really well. They're also using little drones to plant explosives and explore tunnels (since they can't use children anymore :) ).
I'm actually surprised there aren't more robots. I realize these aren't really AI, but from a layman's standpoint the distinction doesn't seem too important.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
Computers are not smart, but they are relentless. an 8 year old can add numbers together, but a computer can add numbers together for days on end, much faster then a person can, because it doesn't get board, or care about its existence, you can take the CPU fan off the CPU, and it will add numbers until it is burned out.
Today's AI systems are just big probability and correlation calculators, where the Math to do this has been around for centuries, just that with large data sets it become exponentially more complex to process. Today's computers following Moors law have grown to a point where it can handle big enough data sets over a long period of time, where it can find patterns and correlations that most humans will just get tired of doing.
The human brain is actually really good at correlations that is why when we see an Apple, we know it is an Apple, even if it is a different color, at a different location, shaped slightly differently, or even at a different orientation. However we are good at processing a 3d world, but giving big sets of 2d Data. not so much, so the computer can handle it better.
Now for Mining, our Correlation brain with experience, can give an experience minor a gut feeling on where to dig, he will be able to figure this out much faster then today's fastest computers.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Let's all just ease up on all the hype and snark and have a nice cold blockchain soda!
That's what too many companies and people are doing: drinking the marketing- and media-hype kool-aid, believing the half-assed so-called 'AI' they keep trotting out is somehow going to 'revolutionize' everything, make humans obsolete, and so on, and so on, and so on. The more time that passes the more people start seeing it's bullshit.
Industry has been announcing that there will be near term break throughs using AI to help locate gold, oil, etc since the 1970s.
Every wave of new AI technology gets hyped by company management as the next big thing.
How many times will news readers fall for the same story?
Like reading the April 15th newspaper article about people waiting till the last minute to file taxes and expecting new information.
Here's my template:
"Scientists using ___(technology X)____ have discovered breakthrough ___(break through Z)___ and expect it to revolutionize ___(area B)____ in the next 5 years."
That's the template for thousands of newspaper articles each year.
DE-VO
They couldn't stop the robots from sneaking nuggets out in their lunch boxes.
Have gnu, will travel.
I asked Al if he wanted to grab a beer and he told me he couldn't because he was busying working for no pay while putting people out of jobs. Stop relying on Al to do all your work and give the guy a break! >:(
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
What's the reason we people do stuff ???
It's to fill in our time and to put our energies toward the common good.
The aim of ultra automation is to leave most people sitting on their arses twiddling their thumbs.
We've lost our direction and our purpose for being is fucked up.
Go well
"Miners have said digital technologies like artificial intelligence, or AI, will revolutionize one of the world's oldest industries in the same way it has changed other businesses, from retail to hailing a cab"
AI will change mining the exactly same way it has so far changed retail and 'hailing a cab' - that is, not at all (since AI doesn't actually EXIST yet).
Seriously, what's next - people "reporting" on how antigravity, fusion, and magic spells* will improve businesses bottom lines as well? How fucking stupid are journalists (and, apparently, CEOs) who believe this shit?
*cf dark energy, blockchain, etc
-Styopa
To be fair, any mining done a mile underground where it's 130 degrees should be done entirely by robots, no human beings required (except possibly as remote drone operators). But I don't think that's what they are talking about when they say "AI"! I'm still not clear why human beings are used in coal mines... they tend to die, and that tends to result in law suits against the coal company!
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Our business is one of the leaders in sensors for underground mines, so we are privy to the culture of some of the biggest players in this space.
Check this out as an example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?... as to where at least cave style mining is heading.
AI is bit a of dumb term. Automation and closed loop feedback would be a better description for what is happening in mining. For example Rio have recently completed a large automated heavy rail network in Australia. http://www.railpage.com.au/new...
Companies like http://www.petradatascience.co... are using big data to increase reliability and reduce ore dilution.
Take for example sub level mining. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
A phd was recently presented that looked at three parameters to do with explosive density, ring spacing & tunnel spacing and dilution and fragmentation. It found varying just these three parameters had the OPPOSITE effect to what was commonly understood by industry. AI is useless unless you understand the fundamentals!
Now here where you get the big culture differences. A consultant plans the mine, a contractor builds out the infrastructure (which can be $5 Billion+), and someone else operates the mine. The operator just cares about pulling out as much ore as possible. To do real R&D that helps improve mine productivity, usually involves disruptions, which means preparing budgets years in advance and executing programs over multiple years, then trying to convince the operator to change their process based on the R&D. It takes a lot of effort, money and time. For example: to drill one 100mm hole 1km long to put sensors in, can cost one million dollars!
So yes, tech continues to ramp up in mines, with increased sensors, automation and data feedback, but the gains are slow and hard won!
46137
They should dig holes, not AI.
Look up what the gold rush was. Overhyped promise of money where some won and most lost. Be it money or their life.
The gold rush is, if you look into it, more about loss than gain. So it sounds like a gold rush to me.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
That's because there's no such thing as 'AI'. I don't know why anyone expects modern algorithms to be capable of anything algorithms of the past weren't. They got what they asked for.
>The chairman of Barrick Gold Corp
not who i'd trust to predict the path of the technology industry.
:)
- Alex