My role as President of the IQ gives me significant insight into the technological evolution that’s taking place within our sector. Artificial Intelligence, automation and data-led tools are evolving rapidly and it’s natural to see them either as a benefit or a threat.
This is a view also held by other major industries. To compare, it was recently reported in The Financial Times that Atlassian, Australia’s largest listed technology company, is to cut 10 percent of its staff in response to the threat posed by AI. Similarly, concerns are regularly raised that careers within the creative arts, coding, legal, and entry-level professional services are susceptible to AI replacement, and consequently the reduction in recruitment by some of our country’s largest employers. Add to this the fact that youth unemployment is at its highest level since 2021, with 16% of those aged 16 to 25 currently out of work, and the many challenges facing graduates are clear.
As AI tools become more present, the way to build employment opportunities is to use them to enhance, not replace, the skills of our workforce. In our industry for example, using AI tools alone within a blasting environment is a very dangerous concept, as if we are to achieve best practice, stay responsible and adhere to our regulatory framework, human intelligence must remain at the forefront.
People are our greatest innovation, and I see it as the IQ’s role to support its members in navigating AI’s place within our industry. With effective human guidance, the incredible tools we now have access to can enable our sector to be more efficient and safer, for jobs to stay secure, and for the roles within those jobs to further develop.
Competence has to lead the technology - not the other way around, and it’s my view that AI will only be a threat if we don’t know how to use it effectively. The Quarries Regulations are clear in principle: people must be competent for the work they do (or be under the supervision of someone who is), and operators must provide suitable information, instruction, training and supervision.
We, therefore, need clear role-based competence (including CPD for those with management responsibilities), a defined management structure with unambiguous authority, and operating procedures that reflect how technology is used.
It’s my desire to support IQ members in becoming the ‘Heartware’ or ‘human intelligence’ for our industry’s future, as we partner our knowledge, experience and competence with AI technology to benefit our industry. With the evolution of the National Occupational Standards, and associated level 4 and 6 training in Safety, Health and Environment used by the sector as a baseline for competence, it is critical that IQ members, and our colleagues, engage with new qualification roll outs. By doing so, we will be able to meet that remit of being the ‘Heartware’ our evolving industry needs, together.
