Mining / Mineral exploration
BHP: Converting exploration geology records into data with generative AI
- Company
- BHP
- Country
- Australia
- Adoption stage
- In operation
- Source published
- Date basis
- The date the source was published. It can differ from the date adoption started.
- How the source was checked
- Read the full source text
The work problem
In an article BHP published on its official website on March 25, 2026, Digital Officer Mikko Tepponen wrote that BHP has geological, operational, maintenance and safety data from more than 140 years of operations, but that this information was collected over long periods of time across different systems, formats and standards. In exploration, much geological information, from scanned reports to fragmented datasets accumulated over decades, remains in formats that are difficult to search or integrate, so geoscientists spent a considerable amount of time finding, cleaning and reconciling data before interpretation could begin.
Technology and data
BHP is developing a Central Data Platform to standardise and integrate exploration data globally. It complements this with digital tools, including generative AI, that help geoscientists convert unstructured records into usable datasets. Tepponen said the value of AI does not come from starting with AI but from foundations such as consistent data standards and interoperability.
Results
According to the article, in one example work that previously took months to compile and interpret was completed in hours using AI-enabled extraction tools. As a result, geoscientists spend less time preparing data and more time analysing and testing ideas. BHP said these tools help teams test ideas faster, build confidence earlier and make better-informed decisions about where to allocate capital.
Limits and open questions
The article presents the result from only one example and does not disclose the volume of records processed, the AI models used or the accuracy of the converted results.
Sources
- From discovery to decisions: data, AI and the future of miningbhp.com, Accessed
Compiled from public sources. These are not results from ATF Works customers.