From record-high gold prices to the stunning growth in renewables driving demand for minerals and the global transition to NetZero, the mining industry is in an era of intense reinvention and disruption.

Africa鈥檚 mining sector isn鈥檛 spared this volatility. The continent has more than half of the world鈥檚 reserves of platinum group metals and diamonds and nearly half of manganese and cobalt reserves, both critical elements in the batteries powering the global transition to cleaner energy.

Searching for greater productivity

In the current business environment, mining companies are under intense pressure to increase efficiencies, reduce costs and boost productivity.

Autonomous technologies have ushered in a broad range of economic benefits for the mining industry over the past decade. By leveraging automation to perform more hazardous tasks, mining companies have minimised worker exposure to dangerous conditions and bolstered overall safety standards within their operations.

The emergence of digital technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced new gains in efficiency and productivity. One market estimate predicts that investment into AI by the mining sector will reach $7.264 billion by 2033, driven by a compound annual growth rate of 22.7%.

The ethics of AI in mining

While it鈥檚 undeniable that AI holds immense promise for the mining industry, the introduction of any new technology is typically accompanied by several ethical dilemmas.

In the mining context, fears around AI range from the displacement of human labour by automation to the increased surveillance compromising data privacy and encroachments on autonomous decision-making.

One of the biggest fears of AI鈥檚 impact in the mining sector relates to the potential of the technology to displace workers by automating their job roles and essentially making them redundant.

In the African context, job fears will remain, specifically considering the important historical role the sector plays in employment creation, especially in markets such as South Africa.

There are also concerns over explainability, that is, how AI decisions can be explained in a way that makes sense to human workers. For example, if AI is used in surveillance at mining sites to improve safety and security, questions may arise over how the algorithm determines which actions can be considered to be safety or security incidents.

While AI has the potential to improve efficiency and safety in mining, its deployment introduces new risks that must be carefully managed. Mining companies, technology developers, and regulatory authorities must collaborate to establish robust safety protocols, provide comprehensive training, and establish clear lines of accountability to mitigate the risks associated with AI use in mining operations.

Practical use cases

Despite the concerns, AI will unquestionably play a leading role in the mining sector鈥檚 success in the coming years. AI lends itself to a myriad of applications across the mining value chain, including:

1 Exploration

AI-driven prospecting mapping models are emerging that analyse geological, geochemical and geophysical data sets to pinpoint promising areas for mineral exploration. By amalgamating diverse data sources, these AI models can enhance the successful discovery of promising resource deposits.

2 Geotechnical monitoring

Geotechnical monitoring and analysis are crucial to ensure ground and infrastructure stability at mining operations. Here, AI can be integrated with sensor networks to detect early signs of instability or failure, while predictive models can forecast ground behaviour and assess potential hazards. AI can also be applied to create detailed simulations of rock masses that can help guide the design of tunnels, underground layouts, and slope stability.

3 Mine planning and optimisation

AI technologies enable dynamic, datadriven decision-making to optimise mine plans and production schedules. Mining operations can leverage AI to predict performance under various conditions, helping decision-makers identify optimal productivity strategies while minimising costs. Predictive maintenance systems can also optimise the performance of mining equipment, reducing downtime and improving overall operational efficiency.

4 Supply chain management

AI鈥檚 benefits extend beyond mining sites to improve supply chain management. Predictive inventory management leverages AI for a variety of tasks, including reducing inventory planning time, minimising costs, optimising repair schedules, and determining the optimal times for reorders. By using techniques such as time-series analysis and probabilistic modelling, mines can gain real-time visibility over their supply chain. This can help mining operations optimise their logistics operations, including transportation routes and distribution networks.

AI is a transformative force in the mining industry, introducing a broad range of innovative applications to solving complex challenges across various facets of modern mining operations. By embracing AI-driven innovation and collaboration, mining companies can pave the way for a more efficient, sustainable and responsible mining future.

The post Artificial Intelligence: Unearthing Greater Efficiency in the African Mining Sector appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

1. 51风流leads with ethics

51风流appreciates the complexity that AI introduces into technology, and they approached the topic by forming an AI ethics steering committee comprised of senior 51风流leaders who review their approach, processes, and product capabilities to ensure operationalization and alignment with their policies and guidelines. Read about SAP鈥檚聽.

2. Joule is not limited to SuccessFactors

Joule, announced in September 2023, is a natural-language, generative AI co-pilot that is embedded across the entire 51风流portfolio, and is designed to transform the way a business runs by leveraging intelligent technology across the various business applications. I鈥檝e heard it referred to as both a Co-pilot and a Digital Assistant, but the magic of it is that it is embedded in every application area across the business. It is first available as part of SuccessFactors; however, it will become available across the entire 51风流ecosystem.聽

3. New AI innovation is delivered each quarter

You can keep an eye on what is available today and what is coming soon, by quarter, by viewing the SAP聽. The Roadmap Explorer makes it easy for you to enter filters for the key areas that you are interested in, so you see only the areas of interest. For example, in the picture below I filtered on SuccessFactors and Artificial Intelligence:

4. 51风流SuccessFactors resources

There are large teams of people at 51风流SuccessFactors that focus on Artificial Intelligence, here are a couple that I like to follow to stay in the know on the topic specific to SuccessFactors:聽,听,听听补苍诲听. Also I share a weekly AI Byte on LinkedIn that introduces something new in the area of AI, please follow me at聽. Lastly, please be sure to check out this interesting White Paper聽聽(valid 51风流credentials required).

5. Partners play a critical role in 51风流SuccessFactors鈥� AI strategy

51风流and SuccessFactors are known for their superior technology, but they also acknowledge that Partners are an important part of the ecosystem, and having the ability to integrate with their technologies quickly and seamlessly to deliver better employee experiences is important. Here at EPI-USE Labs we have created a division dedicated to developing BTP and AI integrations for SuccessFactors. See my blog聽聽for more information.

聽to enrich, enhance and extend your applications, landscapes and processes.

This article first appeared on the EPI-USE website:

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The global mining industry is in a state of flux as unprecedented demand for resources clash with ongoing global economic volatility and geopolitical tensions, creating both immense challenges and opportunities.

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Here鈥檚 how some research and business leaders viewed the latest deluge of upcoming technology innovations, accompanied by a resurgence of people-centric exigencies for brand trust, ethical responsibility, and .

Digital Can Boost Customer Trust in Brands

Since the pandemic compressed expected years of digital evolution into seemingly overnight transformation, the consensus is that cloud-based technology is the only way to future-proof business.

analysts predicted that by the end of this year, 65% of organizations will shift to digital-first through automated operations and contactless experiences. But that doesn鈥檛 reduce an organization鈥檚 ability and imperative to build trusted, personalized relationships with customers. Indeed, the idea is to use digital technologies to improve customer experiences.

For example, researchers viewed digital as a double-edged sword when it came to brand trust. They predicted that 鈥渃onsumers will give brands permission to become more creative, entertaining, and immersive than they鈥檝e ever found palatable before. Chief marketing officers will need to create consciously and sincerely; if manipulative tactics destroy trust among this emotionally vulnerable population, consumers won鈥檛 give your brand a second chance.鈥� Calling disjointed experiences the 鈥渁ntithesis of customer obsession,鈥� Forrester analysts predicted market spend on loyalty and retention marketing will increase by 30% in 2021 as CMOs assert control over the full customer life cycle.

Managing Employee Experience for Trusted Relationships

The impact of digitalization in the workforce was also profound. predicted that by next year, 45% of repetitive work tasks in large companies will be automated and/or augmented via “digital coworkers,” powered by such innovations as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. researchers agreed, forecasting that one out of every four remote workers will be supported by new forms of automation, either directly or indirectly, by the end of 2021.

In the same breath, every analyst talked about managing the employee experience — with good reason. predicted that by 2024, organizations providing a total experience will outperform competitors by 25% in satisfaction metrics for both customer and employee experience.

It鈥檚 no wonder that predicted 60% of enterprises will invest heavily in digitalizing the employee experience this year, transforming the relationship between employers and employees. Further out, Gartner predicted by 2023, large organizations will increase employee retention by more than 20% by repurposing office space as on-site childcare and education facilities.

Some analysts expect high-performing organizations will make digital the default, adding in the physical to deliver the best holistic experience for team productivity. Gartner predicted that 40% of organizations will blend virtual and physical experiences, leading to increased workforce productivity and customer reach during the next couple of years. Hybrid working environments may well become the post-pandemic norm.

Here again, ethics loomed large. analysts saw regulatory and legal activity related to employee privacy infringements doubling this year. They put the onus on employers to adopt a 鈥減rivacy by design鈥� approach when handling employee personal data. This included identifying and assessing privacy and ethical risks and requirements, and transparent employee communication.

Digital Power Brings Ethical Responsibility

Many businesses have done some in the wake of the pandemic, political discord, and long-simmering equity demands. Two years ago, , an association of U.S.-based CEOs, updated its purpose statement of a corporation to “take into account all stakeholders, including employees, customers, and the community,鈥� rather than only profit.

Maybe that鈥檚 partly why analysts predicted the emergence of responsible AI, meaning the operationalization of AI accountability across organizations and society. They saw responsible AI as an umbrella term covering many aspects of AI implementations including value, risk, trust, transparency, ethics, fairness, interpretability, accountability, safety, and compliance.

Most analysts predicted that sentiment analyses and metrics documenting a company鈥檚 contributions to society鈥檚 measurements will matter even more in 2021 and over time. analysts predicted 30% of major organizations will use a 鈥渧oice of society鈥� metric to act on societal issues, and assess the impacts to their business performance by 2024. It turns out that what鈥檚 damaging to society is damaging to business. These analysts think organizations have a fiscal and moral responsibility to measure, reduce, or eliminate tone-deaf or insensitive racial and ethical concerns.

called this phenomenon 鈥渆mpathy at scale鈥� where companies increasingly used sentiment analysis, fueled by AI, to measure how customers perceive their vendors. They predicted by 2024, 32% of consumer brands will use AI-enabled contextual sentiment analysis to measure customer perceptions of empathy. This is where experience management technology such as comes in, connecting data for actionable insights company-wide in an .

What鈥檚 more, trust directly relates to AI-based data explainability. IDC predicted that by 2022, over 60% of in finance, healthcare, government, and other regulated sectors will include provisions to explain their analysis and decisions.

Sustainability is Table Stakes for Responsible Business

IDC analysts reported that the most favored companies are not only transparent and secure, but also give back to their communities, concluding that, 鈥渢rust is not just about security anymore; it is also about responsibility.鈥� Most analysts predicted increasing investments in sustainability initiatives, fueled by public sector mandates, shifting societal demands, and the realization that it鈥檚 good for business.

One analyst said that 鈥渟ustainability-focused companies have better financial results relative to their peers, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.鈥� By next year, predicted the majority of companies will realize greater value by combining digital and sustainability, giving rise to digitally driven and sustainably enabled projects as the de-facto standard. said that by 2025, 90% of G2000 companies will mandate reusable materials in IT hardware supply chains, carbon neutrality targets for providers’ facilities, and lower energy use as prerequisites for doing business.

Optimists look ahead to 2021 and beyond as a major reset for the next phase of the digital age. Let鈥檚 all plan to make the most of this digitally fueled opportunity for the business at hand, and the greater good worldwide.

Susan Galer is a multi-media communicator at SAP. Follow her on Twitter @smgaler.

This article first appeared on the 51风流Global News Center.

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