The Automated Mine: How AI is Reshaping Australian Mining with Imran Khan

Explore how Imran Khan sees AI and automation reshaping Australian mining, boosting productivity and managing risk in the digital era

The Australian mining industry stands at a digital crossroads. The nation's science agency, CSIRO, predicts that by 2030, half of the country's mining operations will be fully automated. This shift is driven by a powerful trifecta: global demand for critical minerals, declining ore grades, and intense pressure for sustainable development.

With investment in AI for mining projected to reach $900 million in 2025, and Australia commanding a staggering 74% of that global capital, the country has become the world's primary testbed for the future of resource extraction. However, this path is fraught with challenges, including integrating legacy systems with modern AI platforms, a growing skills gap, and the escalating cybersecurity risks of interconnected operations.

To delve into this high-stakes transformation, we spoke with Imran Khan, a global technology leader, to unpack how Australian mining companies are navigating this complex landscape of automation, AI, and remote operations.

How are Australian mining companies adopting automation, AI, and remote operations to improve productivity and reduce operational risk?

The Australian mining sector, spearheaded by Tier 1 global operators such as BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), Roy Hill, Newmont, and Northern Star Resources, stands as a global testbed for integrated, autonomous, and sustainable operations. Technology adoption within mining environment is driven by a powerful trifecta: the need to optimize productivity in the face of declining ore grades, reduce sustaining cost, strategic mandate to secure vital critical minerals supply chains, and the increasing global requirement for robust environmental, social, and governance (ESG) compliance. The ultimate objective is not merely incremental efficiency but achieving fully autonomous, end-to-end value chains managed from centralized Remote Operations Centers (ROCs).

The contemporary operational landscape mandates that technology adoption transitions from being an optional efficiency measure to an essential element of strategic risk management and global market positioning. The Australian mining industry is currently navigating a period where Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) systems are rapidly converging on premises and in the cloud. This convergence enables unprecedented data flow, vital for advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models, but simultaneously presents systemic challenges related to data confidentiality, integrity and availability.

Furthermore, the global energy transition places significant pressure on Australian miners to accelerate the discovery, extraction, and processing of critical minerals, making digital solutions the critical accelerator for meeting sovereign supply chain requirements.

AI-driven predictive maintenance, computer vision for real-time safety monitoring, and remote operations centres connected through private LTE networks reduces downtime by up to 25% and improving productivity by 3–5%. These initiatives demonstrate that AI is now a productivity multiplier and a critical enabler of zero-harm operations, not just an efficiency tool. To safeguard these interconnected environments, Tier 1 mining companies are proactively engaging with global governance frameworks. This includes aligning AI deployment with standards like ISO/IEC 42001 for Responsible AI and fortifying operational resilience through security frameworks such as ISO 27001 and IEC 62443, particularly across the merged IT/OT domain.

What challenges do miners face when integrating new technologies with legacy infrastructure, especially in remote regions with limited connectivity?

The biggest challenge remains bridging legacy OT systems and modern cloud-AI platforms. Many mining control systems were never designed for data integration or cloud connectivity. In remote regions, limited bandwidth, high latency, and security constraints add further complexity.

To address this, companies like Newmont, Fortescue, and Roy Hill are deploying edge computing architectures, hybrid data pipelines, and secure OT-IT demarcation models aligned with ISO and IEC 62443 standards. Success depends on careful change management, vendor-agnostic design, and strong cybersecurity governance to protect both operational continuity and data integrity.

Australian mining giants have established a global precedent by implementing comprehensive supply chain automation managed remotely. BHP was among the pioneers, opening Australia’s first integrated remote operations center (ROC) in Perth in 2012 to oversee its vast iron ore supply chain across Western Australia. Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) subsequently followed suit, establishing similar centers. This transition to centralized control fundamentally changes how risk is managed and productivity is maximized.

The long-term value proposition of these ROCs extends beyond localized efficiency. While the data often cites safety (removing operators from harm’s way) and immediate productivity gains (faster load times) as primary benefits, a critical strategic advantage is resilience and business continuity. Centralized ROCs allow operations to continue reliably, minimizing the impact of localized site shutdowns caused by common Australian challenges such as severe weather, industrial action, or regional connectivity outages. This ability to ensure reliable supply is paramount for Tier 1 exporters operating in geopolitically sensitive commodity markets.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) are moving from niche applications to core components of operational decision-making across the value chain, focusing on optimization, maintenance, and precision. Mining giants has extensively deployed autonomous haul trucks, trains, and drills, utilizing sensor data and AI algorithms to navigate complex terrains safely. Their Mine Automation System (MAS) provides real-time information, leveraging sophisticated algorithms displayed through dashboards. Crucially, AI is being experimented to optimize equipment efficiency, predict and control blasts, and even manage the flow of autonomous trucks, reducing queuing times. These seemingly small digital improvements in logistics are foundational elements that cascade into significant gains in overall productivity.

AI is utilized not just for throughput but for strategic asset management. The implementation of an enterprise-wide AI/ML strategy across a global workforce is projecting documented gains, improving operational productivity by 3 to 5% annually. A core part of these strategies is the integration of the global predictive maintenance platform with existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. This proactive approach aims to modernize supply chain and maintenance programs, specifically reducing inventory costs, while also enhancing safety by proactively reducing injuries related to equipment failures.

How is the growth of critical minerals (lithium, nickel, rare earths) influencing investment in mining tech and digital solutions across Australia?

The accelerating global demand for critical minerals is driving Australian miners to prioritize advanced digital technologies such as automation, AI-enabled optimisation, and digital twins to scale production and meet ESG expectations. However, the primary challenge lies not in technological capability but in integrating modern, data-intensive IT systems with decades-old OT infrastructure, often operating in remote regions with limited connectivity. This IT/OT convergence is complicated by differing system objectives and legacy constraints, creating both operational hurdles and significant cybersecurity risks as formerly isolated industrial control systems become exposed to modern threat vectors. At the same time, miners are grappling with the “data paradox”: they generate enormous volumes of sensor data yet often lack the harmonized, high-quality historical datasets required to train predictive AI models, prompting heavy investment in enterprise data platforms that can unify and govern data across the value chain.

To support advanced automation, real-time analytics, and remote operations, miners are also investing in robust connectivity solutions that overcome Australia’s “tyranny of distance.” These include Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite systems for high-speed, secure backhaul, private 5G/LTE networks for resilient on-site communications, and edge computing for low-latency processing of sensor-rich autonomous systems. Enhanced connectivity improves not only operational efficiency but also workforce attraction, emergency response capability, and community services critical factors in running sophisticated digital operations in remote regions. This digital transformation has become inseparable from Australia’s national strategic objectives as critical minerals underpin renewable energy systems, defense technologies, and global supply chain security. The Australian government’s 2023–2030 Critical Minerals Strategy reinforces this shift, targeting major increases in domestic processing capacity and positioning digital capability as essential for ethical traceability, sovereign resilience, and geopolitical leverage.

Digital investments are therefore becoming highly targeted across the discovery–to–processing value chain. In exploration, AI models analyse vast geological datasets to identify high-yield lithium, nickel, and rare-earth deposits, accelerating development timelines and improving capital allocation. In processing, where mineralogy is complex and yields determine profitability, digital twins and AI-driven process control systems are delivering substantial gains including double-digit improvements in recovery rates by enabling predictive maintenance and continuous optimisation across entire flowsheets. For critical minerals, these digitally enabled efficiency gains offer disproportionately high economic returns and will be indispensable for achieving Australia’s ambition to increase domestic processing to 50%, build secure supply chains, and strengthen its position as a globally reliable producer of strategically important minerals.

What role do tech partners and startups play in helping mining companies achieve decarbonization goals and improve ESG reporting accuracy?

Tech partners and startups have become essential accelerators of decarbonization in mining, providing the specialization, speed, and interoperability that large Tier 1 miners cannot develop alone. Initiatives such as the Charge On Innovation Challenge backed by BHP, Rio Tinto, and Vale demonstrate the industry’s shift toward collaborative innovation in fleet electrification, off-grid renewable systems, and scalable energy storage. For remote operations across Australia, partnerships with climate-tech startups and renewable-energy innovators allow miners to deploy hybrid and fully renewable microgrids, bridging critical internal capability gaps while reducing both emissions and operating costs.

These partners are equally vital in strengthening ESG reporting accuracy at a time when miners face intensifying scrutiny from shareholders and regulators, including Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism and global climate-disclosure standards. Enterprise platforms such as Workday unify siloed operational, financial, and supply-chain data to provide a single source of truth for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, ensuring reporting is auditable, verifiable. Advisory specialists and ESG-tech platforms complement this by guiding decarbonization roadmaps, mapping compliance pathways, and enabling access to credible offset and carbon-management solutions.

The convergence of digital transformation and sustainability means AI, IoT, and big-data platforms now play an indispensable role in real-time environmental intelligence. From AI-driven energy optimization and water-management algorithms to computer-vision-based emissions monitoring, technology partners help miners turn sustainability from a static annual report into continuous operational intelligence. As miners embed responsible-AI frameworks aligned to ISO 42001, collaboration with the tech ecosystem becomes the foundation of both net-zero strategy and long-term ESG resilience enabling the industry to move from aspirational commitments to measurable, future-ready performance.

What skills gaps or workforce challenges are emerging as mining operations become more digitized and reliant on data-driven decision-making?

As mining operations become more digitized, the industry is facing a fundamental workforce shift: from manual, equipment-focused roles to data-driven, analytical, and AI-enabled capabilities. The challenge is not just hiring data engineers or ML specialists, it’s finding people who understand the realities of haul cycles, processing plants, and remote operations while also being fluent in digital tools. This hybrid talent gap is already well documented, with more than 80% of mining executives reporting difficulty securing skills in areas such as AI, data engineering, automation, and cybersecurity. For companies like Newmont, the workforce of the future blends operational experience with digital fluency, supported by Digital squads, digital academies, and structured cross-disciplinary upskilling.

Digital transformation is also reshaping maintenance, operations, and asset management. Traditional reactive maintenance roles are evolving into asset-intelligence positions requiring competency in digital twins, predictive algorithms, cloud-based monitoring, and autonomous systems. At the same time, the rapid expansion of remote operations centres across Perth and Brisbane is creating new roles in real-time data analysis, systems integration, and technology governance. Miners are aggressively reskilling their existing workforce while using XR, VR, and digital knowledge-capture tools to preserve institutional expertise as experienced technicians retire. The goal is to transfer decades of operational insight into the hands of the next generation of data-savvy engineers.

As AI becomes embedded across global mining value chains from mining to processing plants, the skills challenge expands into governance, ethics, and regulatory compliance. Responsible AI frameworks aligned to ISO/IEC 42001, data-privacy capabilities, cybersecurity maturity, and legal understanding of data licensing are now essential competencies for mining leaders. Workforce adoption improves when employees see digitalisation enhancing safety enabling remote operation, reducing exposure to hazardous environments, and improving fatigue monitoring. Ultimately, the mining sector’s biggest competitive differentiator will not just be the technology it deploys, but the human capability it builds to use it responsibly, safely, and at scale.

How are Australian mining firms managing cybersecurity risks as operational technology (OT) and information systems become increasingly interconnected?

As Australian mining operations increasingly integrate IT and OT systems, cybersecurity has become a core operational risk every bit as critical as safety, maintenance, or production continuity. Interconnected control systems, legacy OT assets, and remote-operation networks have dramatically expanded the industry’s attack surface, where a cyber incident can rapidly escalate into a physical safety event. Leading miners are responding with defence-in-depth architectures, strict network segmentation, zero-trust access models, and 24/7 OT-tuned threat detection. At Newmont, initiatives such as ISO 27001 certification, Privileged Access Management (PAM), SIEM integration, and specialised OT security platforms like Claroty reduced critical vulnerabilities by more than 50%.

Governance and standards now play a central role in securing the modern mine. Tier 1 operators are aligning to global frameworks including IEC 62443 for OT security, ISO 27001 for information systems, and the Australian Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) Act for critical-infrastructure protection. These standards elevate cybersecurity from a technical function to an enterprise resilience requirement. Many miners also map cyber controls to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, ensuring their defences directly counter known adversary techniques. Close collaboration with the Australian Cyber Security Centre and industry threat-intelligence forums strengthens collective resilience against increasingly sophisticated criminal and nation-state attacks.

Strong cybersecurity is also emerging as a foundational enabler of digital and AI adoption across the mining value chain. Advanced analytics, autonomous systems, and generative AI models rely on sensitive operational datasets from fleet telemetry to plant-control parameters that must be securely governed, protected, and trusted. Robust identity controls, secure data pipelines, and harmonised compliance frameworks allow miners to scale innovation without compromising operational integrity. As AI, automation, and remote operations continue to expand, the miners that treat cybersecurity as a strategic pillar not a back-office function will be the ones able to innovate safely, maintain continuity, and operate with confidence in an increasingly connected environment.

The Australian mining industry is strategically leading global transformation, driven by an imperative to harmonize unparalleled operational efficiency with rigorous governance and security. This article highlights that the Tier 1 operators are deploying technology not merely to cut costs, but to engineer fundamental changes in risk exposure, market access, and long-term resilience.

Productivity gains are increasingly reliant on the centralized management enabled by Remote Operations Centers and AI-driven precision, safety targets are achieved by moving the workforce away from hazardous environments toward roles focused on asset intelligence. However, this rapid digitization introduces systemic complexity, particularly in integrating legacy OT with modern IT, creating an expanded attack surface that must be secured through defense-in-depth strategies and compliance with frameworks like IEC 62443 and ISO 27001.

Crucially, the global demand for critical minerals provides a powerful economic justification for continued digital investment, particularly in AI for accelerated exploration and processing optimization. This mandate is inseparable from ESG compliance, where tech partners and startups provide the necessary speed and specialization from Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) electrification solutions to integrated platforms for auditable Scope 3 emissions reporting. The interwoven nature of these challenges where connectivity supports talent, safety drives cultural adoption, and security enables scalable AI defines the strategic landscape of the modern Australian mine. Mastery of this digital frontier is essential for maintaining Australia's position as a secure, efficient, and ethical supplier in the global resource economy.