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Vale’s mining advances towards a model with less human presence in the mines, more control centers, autonomous equipment, and increasing use of artificial intelligence, while the company also directs a significant part of its research investments towards decarbonization and products with lower environmental impact.
Vale has started treating the total automation of mines as a real possibility for the future of its operations, in a model with less physical presence in extraction areas and more activities concentrated in control centers.
This assessment was made by Rafael Bittar, the mining company’s technology director, during the Web Summit Rio 2026, held in Rio de Janeiro with a focus on innovation, artificial intelligence, technology, and new business models.
For the executive, artificial intelligence has ceased to play an experimental role within the company and has become part of the business strategy, especially in automated systems, logistical tests, and remotely operated equipment.
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“AI is a one-way street,” said Bittar, commenting on the advancement of digital solutions in Vale’s operation and the expansion of technologies that reduce the need for direct action in mining fronts.
Held at Riocentro, in Barra da Tijuca, the Web Summit Rio 2026 took place between June 8 and 11 and brought together companies, investors, startups, and executives connected to the technology sector.
Vale targets mining with less human presence in the mines
When discussing technological advancement in Vale’s main business, mineral exploration, Bittar mentioned the possibility of a 100% automated mine, although he did not present a timeline for adopting this model.
In practice, the company already uses control centers capable of allowing the teleoperation of equipment hundreds of kilometers away, bringing mineral operations closer to an increasingly remote and digitized routine.
In this scenario, trucks, drills, excavators, and bulldozers tend to gain more space in the mines, while human teams begin to work more concentrated on supervision, control, maintenance, and data analysis.
The projection, however, does not equate to the immediate end of workers in mining, but points to a gradual change in the type of activity performed in large-scale and high-intensity technological operations.
According to Bittar, the future of mining should have the minimum number of people locally, with support from control centers and autonomous equipment to enhance safety, productivity, and efficiency in operations.
Autonomous fleet to gain 150 more pieces of equipment
In the plans presented by the executive, Vale intends to add 150 more autonomous pieces of equipment to its fleet by the end of next year, without detailing which units will receive these assets.
Part of the vehicles used by the mining company is already made up of autonomous trucks, while new applications of artificial intelligence are being tested in logistics areas and in production support stages.
With automation, tasks previously performed directly in the mines are now executed by machines monitored remotely, shifting human work to activities related to operational control and information interpretation.
The change alters the traditional dynamics of mining, a sector historically based on large teams at the mining fronts, and reinforces Vale’s bet on digital systems to support its operational strategy.
There is still no public detailing on the distribution of the new equipment among trucks, drills, excavators, or other assets, nor on the potential impact of autonomous expansion on jobs.
Decarbonization may receive a larger share of R&D
In addition to automation, Bittar stated that Vale is considering increasing the share of investments in research and development aimed at decarbonization, an area that already concentrates a significant part of the company’s technological resources.
Currently, according to the executive, about 25% of a total of $700 million allocated to R&D is directed towards research related to emission reduction and projects linked to the energy transition.
“I believe we should still increase this share,” said Bittar, when responding about the possibility of raising resources for environmental initiatives within Vale’s innovation portfolio.
In the assessment presented by the technology director, new green projects have entered the company and require more capital as they advance in the research and development chain, until reaching more mature stages.
The discussion arose from a question about the possibility of Vale receiving, in the future, a premium for ore produced more sustainably, with no higher emission per ton and with lower presence of contaminants.
Known as quality premium, this additional can be paid when the ore presents higher quality, purity, or specific environmental characteristics, but Bittar said he does not foresee a timeline for applying this premium to the company’s product.
If the market moves in this direction, the ore could be valued for having lower emission per ton produced and lower presence of elements such as silica, alumina, and magnesium.
Automation advances without detailing labor impacts
Bittar’s statements indicate that Vale is working with a vision of increasingly digital, automated mining that relies on artificial intelligence, combined with investments in decarbonization.
This movement occurs amid pressure for less emissive supply chains and for minerals used in technologies related to the energy transition, a theme that has led companies in the sector to seek more efficient operations.
Regarding the labor effects of this transformation, detailed public information is still lacking on the worker replacement plan, schedule by unit, or estimate of impact on direct and outsourced jobs.
Nor were the mines that could first reach a fully automated model disclosed, nor the internal criteria used by Vale to define the expansion of automation.
For now, the projection appears as a technological direction advocated by the company’s technology area, supported by autonomous equipment, teleoperation, artificial intelligence, and more investments in applied research.
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