- The Path to Progress
- Mipac Event
- AI in Mineral Processing
- Western Australia
Mipac’s second Path to Progress event, “Get Your Plant AI-Ready” was held on Monday, 3 November 2025 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Perth Waterfront.
The event explored what it takes to get a mineral processing plant ready for the next generation of AI technology and featured a series of fireside chats and a panel discussion. These covered everything from laying the foundations for AI through data digitisation and standardisation, to the lessons learned from piloting AI in minerals processing.
Attendees heard from:
Sophia Marmara – Metallurgy Lead at Northern Star Resources
Grant Wellwood – mineral processing specialist and Principal at Wellwood Associates
Elsa Jordaan – Principal at Deployed Analytics and a data science leader with over 20 years’ experience
Rob Johnston – Manager of IS Solutions Delivery at CITIC Pacific Mining
Paul Lucey – global leader in mining, energy, robotics and AI
Matthew Schneider – AI thought leader and strategic advisor
Iain Murray – John Curtin Distinguished Professor leading the Intelligent Automation and Industrial Automation Lab at Curtin University
Neil Freeman – innovation expert with more than three decades’ experience in the global resources sector
Guests continued the conversation during networking drinks overlooking the Perth Waterfront, reflecting on how their own organisations could take the next step on their AI readiness journey.
Event photographs
To view all of photographs from the event, visit the link below:
Session recordings
You can watch the recordings from each session below:
Get your plant AI-ready: setting the right foundations [A fireside chat with Sophia Marmara]
A deep dive into digitisation and standardisation of plant data and systems.
No silver bullets: our wins and near-misses in AI foundations [A fireside chat with Elsa Jordaan]
Real-world lessons from piloting AI in minerals processing.
Parallels: an AI in mining journey at CITIC Pacific Mining [A fireside chat with Rob Johnston]
Fireside chat | When to AI and when not to AI – from push to pull.
Looking ahead: the essentials for your 12-month AI readiness roadmap [A panel discussion with Neil Freeman, Paul Lucey, Matthew Schneider, Iain Murray AM]
Panel | It’s not just tech: it’s people, data and mindset.
More from The Path to Progress series
Perth event to define what ‘AI-ready’ means for mineral processing
Media release | 8 October 2025 Industry leaders will gather in Perth this November to tackle the question of what being ‘AI-ready’ really means for
Get Your Plant AI-Ready: The Path to Progress series 2
Get Your Plant AI-Ready A Pragmatic Guide to AI Foundations in Processing Plants Monday 3rd November 2025 2.30pm Registration for 3pm start Location: Perth AI
Unlocking mining’s potential: overcoming barriers to technology adoption
Mipac’s first Path to Progress event, “Unlocking Mining’s Potential: Overcoming Barriers to Technology Adoption”, was held on 19th May 2025 at the Stamford Plaza in
