Why AI Augmented Engineers Are the Future of Problem Solving in Mining

For years, solving tough operational problems in mining meant one of three things:

• Wrestling with spreadsheets and gut feel

• Hiring consultants for one-off studies

• Waiting weeks (or months) for a data science or software team to build something useful

It was slow, expensive, and rarely led to tools the site team could actually use or adapt.

But that’s changing - fast. Today, with the rise of AI native coding tools, engineers and other mining professionals can build custom simulators, optimisers, and decision-support tools in a matter of hours - right from their browser. We call this the AI augmented engineer approach: combining domain knowledge with prompting, logic, and rapid prototyping without needing a dev team or full-stack software build. It’s fast. It's transparent. And it's already reshaping how mines make better, faster decisions.

From Gatekeepers to Enablers

You don’t need to be a software engineer or machine learning expert to build intelligent tools anymore. With platforms like Replit, coupled with Streamlit and Python-based optimisers, engineers can now:

• Turn complex, fuzzy decisions into clear simulations

• Test trade-offs visually and iteratively

• Share tools that others can understand and use

• Integrate AI components (like constraint based optimisers or pattern detection) without infrastructure

Just as importantly, they can now do all this by describing what they want in natural language (prompting), thanks to AI-powered code assistants. No dev-ops. No black box models. No long project cycles. Just domain knowledge → custom tooling → fast answers.

Empower the People Who Know the Problem Best

Engineers in mining already understand the system - the orebody, mine plans, cycle times, cut-offs and plant capabilities. What they need isn’t a dashboard. They need a way to reason, simulate, optimise and adapt in real time. With new AI native tools and skills in prompting, they can build and iterate themselves:

• In the browser

• Using natural language prompts

• With total control over assumptions and logic

It’s like giving them a whiteboard that runs code.

A Quick Example: Run of Mine Stockpile Strategy

In one recent project, a client needed to test different stockpiling and reclaim strategies to meet feed quality specs while maximising ore utilisation. Rather than wait for a vendor or model a hundred scenarios in Excel, we worked with them to build a custom, live simulator.

The whole solution was generated from prompting in Replit - from the Streamlit interface to the simulation logic. The engineer described the intent, reviewed the generated code, and refined it with a few tweaks. This prompt–iterate–test loop becomes the new development cycle:

1. Describe the goal, business logic, inputs and outputs clearly

2. Let the AI write or adjust the code

3. Run and test instantly in Replit

4. Repeat until it fits the real-world logic and passes functional and other QAQC tests

The result was a working tool within a day that included:

• Frontend: Streamlit for rapid web UI development

• Backend: Python with pandas for data processing

• Visualisation: Plotly for interactive 3D stockpile views

• Data Export: Native Excel generation with xlsxwriter

• Database: PostgreSQL (when needed) with one-click provisioning

The magic? It wasn’t just the simulator or the quantifiable business value it generated - it was the speed, clarity, and ownership the engineer gained.

The Shift That’s Happening

Old Model	New Model
Data team backlog	Engineer builds the tool themselves
Vendor solutions, slow to change	Lightweight, in-browser, fully flexible
Hidden assumptions	Transparent, editable logic
High development cost	Low-friction prototyping
Tools built for reporting	Tools built for decision-making
Coding required	Prompting + AI = low barrier to entry

This isn’t about replacing teams - it’s about empowering the right people with the right tools, so they can do more, faster.

Curious Where AI Could Make the Biggest Impact for You?

At Intifica, we help mining companies develop practical AI strategies that deliver real value. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling up, reach out to us via our website (www.intifica.io) to find out how we can help turn AI into your competitive advantage.