By Hugh Kruzel | The Sudbury Star
For many, AI – Artificial Intelligence – represents an uncertain and even dangerous future. No so for those who work in the mining industry.
This year, the Google Developers Group Sudbury recently held DevFest Sudbury 2024. The focus was on Responsible AI (Artificial Intelligence) in Mining. Participants came to collaborate and engage with industry experts, professionals and tech enthusiasts.
Guest speakers discussed machine learning applications in mining operations while a panel talked about AI’s impact in robotics for mining. Panellists included Cambrian R&D’s Dr. Sinisa Vukovic and Andre Dumais from Epiroc. Prof. Dr. Meng-Cheng Lau, who teaches robotics at Laurentian University, moderated this discussion.
Dumais has had a long involvement in automation in mining. “The industry needs more than the technology,” he said. “There is a need for transformation.
“Efficiencies and answering the challenges of labour and safety need to be addressed. Mining in the last decades, and year over year, has become safer but there are always risks. Accidents are now further apart and fewer. At Epiroc, we are not alone looking at collision avoidance and worker health.”
AI adoption in mining and its impact on user interfaces and user experiences brought Gates Godin of Marbleu, Bernie Aho and Citriq, and Chrisanne Daniel of Applied Systems to the stage.
Sylvain Whissell came from Ottawa to attend this event. “I am looking at getting more information and AI experience into my career,” Whissell said. “This event lined up perfectly with my needs.
“I grew up here and maybe moving back to Sudbury could be on the table.”
One of the real-world applications for AI was the Côté Gold Challenge. This open pit mine in Gogama, north of Sudbury, aims to use 23 autonomous haul trucks and six drills when fully operational.
It is perhaps a perfect environment to use AI and implement machine learning, the conference heard. Attendees were presented with opportunities to consider possibilities where the novel integrations of technology could improve processes and sustainability.
Josey Frescura, who has been actively nurturing a growing technology community in Sudbury, was one of the key organizers for DevFest Sudbury. He and other volunteers have been dedicated to fostering knowledge-sharing and innovation in the tech community here.
“We have done about five events like this over the years. We are already starting to plan for 2025 as this event kicks off,” chuckled Frescura knowingly.
“We have brought some fantastic speakers. We are very fortunate to have the (Google Developers Group) Association to connect us with industry leaders. What we really are trying to do is to help students find jobs, develop community relationships and be aware of greater technologies.”
Frescura said about 150 people attended the in-person event hosted in Fraser Auditorium at Laurentian University.
Heather Dufour of Laurentian University said DevFest is an important event. “We encourage students to really take control of events like this,” she said. “Josey and I are more like mentors. We encourage them to replicate and lead. That’s the idea … so that in the future they can run something like this.”
Keynote speaker Faisal Abid, Bitstrapped VP of engineering and Google developer expert, arrived from Toronto. “We work with large organizations,” Abid said. “Clients include airlines, robotic companies like Boston Dynamics and most recently, a really cool project in the food industry.
“At ThisFish (a software and traceability company) we built a real-time supply chain camera system that monitors salmon fillets to detect their condition. The goal is to bring innovation, and we are called in to accelerate results.”
Abid spoke about cutting-edge techniques for creating Retrieval-Augmented Generation solutions, which aim to improve the performance of A1.
“This is my first time in Sudbury, but it sure won’t be the last,” he said. I am here for the students. I like attending events like this … especially when the focus is AI. There is anxiety about where AI will take us.”
