Gold coin giveaway, AI in mining talk for U of T students

It was a golden day for Jiahe Huang, literally.

The fourth-year mining engineering student at the University of Toronto walked into a session on mining careers and AI, and walked out with a gold coin worth $6,600 (US$4,794).

“It’s like a dream,” he told The Northern Miner about the 1-oz. coin he won in a draw. “I just want to keep it as a souvenir. It has special meaning.”

The coin, mined from Agnico Eagle’s (TSX, NYSE: AEM) Detour Lake site in northern Ontario and provided by The Northern Miner, was a bonus giveaway as part of a session attended by dozens of students at the Lassonde Mineral Engineering school last Wednesday.

Huang, originally from Huangzhou, China, plans to start a master’s degree in mining engineering at U of T in the fall. He hopes to focus on AI applications in geology and mining.

‘Mining is future-proof’

Mariana Pinheiro Harvey, general manager at Agnico’s Macassa mine in northern Ontario, gave a keynote address on “future-proofing” mining careers in the age of AI.

Mariana Pinheiro Harvey delivers a keynote speech to University of Toronto students. Credit: Blair McBride

The AI upheaval is a new form of industrial revolution that will automate many cognitive tasks, making several jobs obsolete, Pinheiro Harvey told students.

“[But] a career in mining is future proof,” said Harvey, an alumni of the Lassonde Mineral Engineering school. “It has a much lower exposure to AI disruption, because mining as a whole really relies on human judgment, human accountability and human decisions.”

In-demand metals, careers

Mining careers will also continue to be essential because critical metals are increasingly needed for green energy transition technologies and for electrification and huge data centres.

While many mines are becoming increasingly automated, every mine site depends on critical thinking and daily decision making that only humans can do, Harvey said.

“We rely on humans. There’s not a chance that within our lifetime mines could be automated end to end,” she said.

To succeed in mining, students should go where they can find work and build up skills through experience that can’t be easily replaced with AI, Harvey explained.

“Spend time at the mill, understand how the systems work, go underground, learn how to survey,” she said. “Credibility comes from understanding how the work actually happens on site. Saying yes to the things that make you the most uncomfortable are probably going to be what generates the most personal growth.”