{ "id": "AIBD-0587", "title": "KoBold used AI to characterize the Mingomba copper deposit", "summary": "KoBold combined AI with geological expertise to characterize Mingomba; the sources do not isolate AI’s effect on discovery, costs, or environmental impact.", "date_observed": "2024-10-01", "date_basis": "source publication", "date_precision": "month", "benefit_status": "reported", "source_collection": "University of Texas AI Opportunity Inventory", "source_entry": "ut-aoi-2026-10-27-row-04", "account": "KoBold Africa chief executive Mfikeyi Makayi described work at Mingomba in a first-person account in PwC’s October 2024 Zambia mining report. She reported that data science helped the team target areas with substantial copper grade and thickness. The work combined historical exploration, drilling, geoscience, and computing. She also described decades of exploration before KoBold entered the project. The IEA later characterized the work as AI-assisted resource assessment. Neither account provides a controlled comparison or quantified AI-specific savings. Mingomba should not be presented as a deposit first discovered by AI.", "category": "general benefit", "unexpected": false, "purpose": "The system supports geologists in choosing where to collect data and how to characterize mineral resources.", "system": "KoBold geological prediction and exploration systems", "model_version": null, "developer": "KoBold Metals", "deployer": "KoBold Metals and Mingomba Mining Limited", "location": "Chililabombwe District, Copperbelt Province, Zambia", "domain": "Mining and mineral exploration", "segment": "Copper resource characterization", "benefit_type": "Improved Knowledge Discovery", "taxonomy_note": "The benefit claim concerns resource characterization. Net climate gains, environmental savings, and a wholly new AI discovery are not established.", "registry_ids": {}, "ratings": [ { "group": "organizational", "depth": null, "reason": "The reviewed sources do not establish the magnitude of the benefit." } ], "ai_role": { "status": "assessed", "statement": "AI and data science contributed to a workflow that also used historical exploration data, drilling, and expert judgment. The separate contribution was not quantified." }, "evidence": [ { "kind": "descriptive report", "citation": "Makayi, Mfikeyi. A First-Hand Perspective on Exploration, Part 2. In PwC, Zambia 2024 Mining Report, third edition, October 2024, pp. 20–22.", "title": "A First-Hand Perspective on Exploration, Part 2", "url": "https://www.pwc.com/zm/en/assets/pdf/zambia-mining-report-2024.pdf", "date": "2024-10-01", "written_by": "deployer", "quote": null }, { "kind": "descriptive report", "citation": "International Energy Agency. Energy and AI. April 10, 2025. Box 3.2, pp. 121–122; referenced source on p. 286.", "title": "Energy and AI, Box 3.2: Reducing uncertainty in mineral exploration with AI", "url": "https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/de9dea13-b07d-42c5-a398-d1b3ae17d866/EnergyandAI.pdf", "date": "2025-04-10", "written_by": "independent", "quote": null, "supports_benefit": false } ], "replication": { "produced_by": [ "Historical information, new drilling, data science, and geologists’ decisions were combined." ], "must_hold": [ "The reviewed sources do not establish causal conditions or an effect size for reproducing the benefit." ], "echoes": [] }, "paired_incident": null, "headline": "KoBold used AI to characterize the Mingomba copper deposit", "metric": null, "comparator": null, "later": null, "value": null, "developer_country": "United States", "deployer_country": "Zambia", "unrated_because": "The benefit magnitude is unassessed.", "brief_notes": null, "brief": null, "revisions": [ { "date": "2026-10-27", "change": "Added a source-reviewed case, distinguishing the reported or intended benefit from unmeasured outcomes.", "source": "https://www.pwc.com/zm/en/assets/pdf/zambia-mining-report-2024.pdf", "editor": "AIBD" } ], "confidence": "claimed", "shade": "low", "claim_status": "The deployer's account", "claim_basis": "Sources: one independent descriptive report and the deployer's descriptive report. For the benefit itself, the cited sources include no independent source and no finding by a regulator or court.", "profile": { "case_id": "AIBD-0587", "catalog_version": "1.0.0", "source_fingerprint": "ac6b524a8a78a6fcda2f5b90df79bec31e31935638bbf842e3cc178e36b3f402", "collection_refs": [ { "collection_id": "aibd", "version": "2026-10-25" }, { "collection_id": "viator", "version": "2026-10-25" } ], "source_ids": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "families": { "strategic assessments": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "record_ids": [] }, "evaluations": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "record_ids": [] }, "monetary observations": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "record_ids": [] }, "institutional decisions": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "record_ids": [] } }, "fields": { "actors[]": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "developer": "KoBold Metals", "deployer": "KoBold Metals and Mingomba Mining Limited" } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "developer", "deployer" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "actors[].ownership_control": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "ai_contribution": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "text", "text": "AI and data science contributed to a workflow that also used historical exploration data, drilling, and expert judgment. The separate contribution was not quantified." }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Reviewed the qualified case account against the retained original sources and their specific contributions.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "ai_relationship": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "category": "general benefit", "ai_role": { "status": "assessed", "statement": "AI and data science contributed to a workflow that also used historical exploration data, drilling, and expert judgment. The separate contribution was not quantified." } } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "ai_role", "category" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "assessments[].alternatives": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "assessments[].assessor_date": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "assessments[].depth": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "assessments[].display_confidence": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "claim_status": "The deployer's account", "evidence_word": "claimed", "confidence": "low", "basis": "Sources: one independent descriptive report and the deployer's descriptive report. For the benefit itself, the cited sources include no independent source and no finding by a regulator or court.", "interpretation": "This label describes the supporting sources; it does not establish a beneficial causal effect.", "limitations": "No quantified AI-specific savings, environmental gains, or new-discovery counterfactual is established." } }, "provenance": { "kind": "derivation", "basis": "Derived the displayed confidence from the reviewed retained evidence; benefit magnitude remains separate.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "partial" }, "assessments[].rationale": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "ratings": [ { "group": "organizational", "reason": "The reviewed sources do not establish the magnitude of the benefit." } ] } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "ratings" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "assessments[].rubric_version": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "assessments[].status_basis": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "answer": "Reported benefits.", "status": "reported" } }, "provenance": { "kind": "legacy_record", "basis": "Existing benefit_status classification; no new source review.", "record_fields": [ "benefit_status" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "assessments[].target": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "ratings": [ { "group": "organizational", "reason": "The reviewed sources do not establish the magnitude of the benefit." } ] } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "ratings" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "availability": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "brief": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "case_kind": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "case_links[]": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "claims[].evidence_links": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "claims": [ { "claim_id": "AIBD-0587-claim-0001", "proposition": "KoBold combined AI with geological expertise to characterize Mingomba; the sources do not isolate AI’s effect on discovery, costs, or environmental impact.", "sources": [ { "source_ref": "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "supports_benefit": true, "contributions": [ "The KoBold Africa CEO reports the role of data science in targeting copper grade and thickness and describes the prior exploration history.", "Confirms an announcement in December 2022 concerning investment in an existing named deposit." ], "locators": [ "A First-Hand Perspective on Exploration, Part 2, pp. 20–22; Exploration at Mingomba subsection on p. 21.", "Dated headline and announcement paragraph." ] }, { "source_ref": "AIBD-0587-source-0002", "supports_benefit": false, "contributions": [ "Adds an intermediary description of targeted data collection, a 2020 Lubambe concept study, and the limits of interpreting the work as a new discovery.", "An upstream source for the IEA’s deposit description. It cautions against calling the project a new discovery but contains a 2018 acquisition assertion that conflicts with contemporaneous company material.", "Confirms an announcement in December 2022 concerning investment in an existing named deposit.", "Potential original context for the pre-KoBold exploration history. The underlying 2020 concept study itself was not obtained." ], "locators": [ "Box 3.2, pp. 121–122; Lobito bibliography entry on p. 286.", "Paragraphs about prior discovery and ownership; first published February 6, 2024, updated May 14, 2024.", "Dated headline and announcement paragraph.", "Linked presentation; attempted retrieval returned server errors." ] } ] } ] } }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Mapped sources to the supported claim components and retained contextual sources without counting them as benefit corroboration.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "claims[].evidence_strength": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "claim_status": "The deployer's account", "evidence_word": "claimed", "confidence": "low", "basis": "Sources: one independent descriptive report and the deployer's descriptive report. For the benefit itself, the cited sources include no independent source and no finding by a regulator or court.", "interpretation": "This label describes the supporting sources; it does not establish a beneficial causal effect.", "limitations": "No quantified AI-specific savings, environmental gains, or new-discovery counterfactual is established." } }, "provenance": { "kind": "derivation", "basis": "Applied the existing evidence rules to the reviewed source relationships and benefit-support flags.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "claims[].missingness": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "claims[].proposition": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "cross_border_flows[]": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "decisions[].action_outcome": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "institutional decisions" }, "decisions[].grounds": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "institutional decisions" }, "decisions[].institution_task": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "institutional decisions" }, "decisions[].success_criterion": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "institutional decisions" }, "deployment_stage": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "text", "text": "Exploration and resource characterization." }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Stage is limited to what the reviewed sources establish and is separate from evidence of benefit.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], 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"not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "monetary observations" }, "economics[].realization": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "monetary observations" }, "economics[].recipient_payer": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "monetary observations" }, "economics[].return_payback": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "monetary observations" }, "economics[].valuation_method": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "monetary observations" }, "evaluations[].ai_uplift": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "evaluations" }, "evaluations[].comparator": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "evaluations" }, "evaluations[].design": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "evaluations" }, "evaluations[].effect": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "evaluations" }, "evaluations[].exposure": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "evaluations" }, "evaluations[].id": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "evaluations" }, "evaluations[].measurement_method": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "evaluations" }, "evaluations[].metric": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "evaluations" }, "evaluations[].reproduction_materials": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "evaluations" }, "evaluations[].setting_sample": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "evaluations" }, "evaluations[].uncertainty_limitations": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "evaluations" }, "external_references[]": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "references": [ { "collection": "AI Opportunity Inventory", "source_entry": "ut-aoi-2026-10-27-row-04", "sheet_row": 4, "url": "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZDVVXiGeMcKJlq4F3GvvZALDtLliGeJtdDV6Zhr_p-0/edit#gid=0&range=A4:O4", "role": "Discovery lead and submission provenance; not independent corroboration." } ] } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Preserved the originating public submission and its row-level identifier.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZDVVXiGeMcKJlq4F3GvvZALDtLliGeJtdDV6Zhr_p-0/edit#gid=0" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "follow_up[]": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "human_oversight": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "id": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "id": "AIBD-0587" } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "id" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "infrastructure_dependencies[]": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "outcomes[].beneficiaries": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "outcomes[].beneficiary_count": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "outcomes[].benefit_type": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "benefit_type": "Improved Knowledge Discovery", "taxonomy_note": "The benefit claim concerns resource characterization. Net climate gains, environmental savings, and a wholly new AI discovery are not established." } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "benefit_type", "taxonomy_note" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "outcomes[].claim": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "text", "text": "KoBold Africa chief executive Mfikeyi Makayi described work at Mingomba in a first-person account in PwC’s October 2024 Zambia mining report. She reported that data science helped the team target areas with substantial copper grade and thickness. The work combined historical exploration, drilling, geoscience, and computing. She also described decades of exploration before KoBold entered the project. The IEA later characterized the work as AI-assisted resource assessment. Neither account provides a controlled comparison or quantified AI-specific savings. Mingomba should not be presented as a deposit first discovered by AI." }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Reviewed the qualified case account against the retained original sources and their specific contributions.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "outcomes[].distribution": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "outcomes[].duration": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "outcomes[].id": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "outcomes[].stakeholder_group": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "ratings": [ { "group": "organizational", "reason": "The reviewed sources do not establish the magnitude of the benefit." } ] } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "ratings" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "outcomes[].status": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "text", "text": "reported" }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Reviewed the qualified case account against the retained original sources and their specific contributions.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "outcomes[].tradeoffs": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "outcomes[].unexpected": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "unexpected": false, "purpose": "The system supports geologists in choosing where to collect data and how to characterize mineral resources." } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "unexpected", "purpose" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "places[]": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "location": "Chililabombwe District, Copperbelt Province, Zambia", "developer_country": "United States", "deployer_country": "Zambia" } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "location", "developer_country", "deployer_country" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "purpose": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "text", "text": "The system supports geologists in choosing where to collect data and how to characterize mineral resources." }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Reviewed the qualified case account against the retained original sources and their specific contributions.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "record_dates": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "record_date": "2024-10-01", "date_basis": "source publication", "date_precision": "month", "added_on": "2026-10-27", "chronology_source": { "url": "https://www.pwc.com/zm/en/assets/pdf/zambia-mining-report-2024.pdf", "title": "Zambia 2024 Mining Report, third edition", "date": "2024-10", "basis": "Report cover states October 2024; the record uses month precision." } } }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Distinguished publication, event, and access chronology; no date is silently promoted to an observed benefit date.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "https://www.pwc.com/zm/en/assets/pdf/zambia-mining-report-2024.pdf" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "replication.attempts[]": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "replication.conditions": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "replication": { "produced_by": [ "Historical information, new drilling, data science, and geologists’ decisions were combined." ], "must_hold": [ "The reviewed sources do not establish causal conditions or an effect size for reproducing the benefit." ], "echoes": [] } } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "replication" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "revision_history[]": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "revisions": [ { "date": "2026-10-27", "change": "Added a source-reviewed case, distinguishing the reported or intended benefit from unmeasured outcomes.", "source": "https://www.pwc.com/zm/en/assets/pdf/zambia-mining-report-2024.pdf", "editor": "AIBD" } ] } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "revisions" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "sector": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "domain": "Mining and mineral exploration", "segment": "Copper resource characterization" } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "domain", "segment" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" }, "sources[].access_version": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "accessed_on": "2026-10-27", "sources": [ { "source_ref": "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "url": "https://www.pwc.com/zm/en/assets/pdf/zambia-mining-report-2024.pdf", "source_date": "2024-10-01" }, { "source_ref": "AIBD-0587-source-0002", "url": "https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/de9dea13-b07d-42c5-a398-d1b3ae17d866/EnergyandAI.pdf", "source_date": "2025-04-10" } ], "review_scope": "Read Makayi’s original account in the downloaded PwC report and the IEA box and bibliography. Followed the IEA’s Lobito citation and checked the company’s contemporaneous investment announcement. Lead is the original deployer account. IEA is contextual and does not raise benefit confidence.", "access_limitations": [ "The original 2020 Lubambe concept study and raw exploration/model data were not available in this review.", "The accessible historical sources contain differing dates and quantities. The record does not reproduce copper-resource quantities, percentage efficiency claims, or a first-discovery date.", "No controlled comparison isolates AI’s contribution." ], "chronology_source": { "url": "https://www.pwc.com/zm/en/assets/pdf/zambia-mining-report-2024.pdf", "title": "Zambia 2024 Mining Report, third edition", "date": "2024-10", "basis": "Report cover states October 2024; the record uses month precision." } } }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Recorded the inspected source versions and access limitations; this does not imply access to unavailable upstream evidence.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "sources[].citation_locator": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "sources": [ { "source_ref": "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "url": "https://www.pwc.com/zm/en/assets/pdf/zambia-mining-report-2024.pdf", "citation": "Makayi, Mfikeyi. A First-Hand Perspective on Exploration, Part 2. In PwC, Zambia 2024 Mining Report, third edition, October 2024, pp. 20–22.", "locators": [ "A First-Hand Perspective on Exploration, Part 2, pp. 20–22; Exploration at Mingomba subsection on p. 21.", "Dated headline and announcement paragraph." ], "contributions": [ "The KoBold Africa CEO reports the role of data science in targeting copper grade and thickness and describes the prior exploration history.", "Confirms an announcement in December 2022 concerning investment in an existing named deposit." ] }, { "source_ref": "AIBD-0587-source-0002", "url": "https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/de9dea13-b07d-42c5-a398-d1b3ae17d866/EnergyandAI.pdf", "citation": "International Energy Agency. Energy and AI. April 10, 2025. Box 3.2, pp. 121–122; referenced source on p. 286.", "locators": [ "Box 3.2, pp. 121–122; Lobito bibliography entry on p. 286.", "Paragraphs about prior discovery and ownership; first published February 6, 2024, updated May 14, 2024.", "Dated headline and announcement paragraph.", "Linked presentation; attempted retrieval returned server errors." ], "contributions": [ "Adds an intermediary description of targeted data collection, a 2020 Lubambe concept study, and the limits of interpreting the work as a new discovery.", "An upstream source for the IEA’s deposit description. It cautions against calling the project a new discovery but contains a 2018 acquisition assertion that conflicts with contemporaneous company material.", "Confirms an announcement in December 2022 concerning investment in an existing named deposit.", "Potential original context for the pre-KoBold exploration history. The underlying 2020 concept study itself was not obtained." ] } ] } }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Exact document sections, passages, or table locations supplied by the source review.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "sources[].id": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "identifiers": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "role": "Retained evidence in reviewed source order." } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Assigned deterministic source identifiers within this new record.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "sources[].language": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "sources[].relationship": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "sources": [ { "source_ref": "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "authorship_relationship": "deployer", "independent_of_maker_and_deployer": false, "originality_assessments": [ "Original firsthand company account within a PwC publication; publisher identity does not make the account independent.", "Contemporaneous primary chronology check; not counted as an additional benefit evaluation." ] }, { "source_ref": "AIBD-0587-source-0002", "authorship_relationship": "independent", "independent_of_maker_and_deployer": true, "originality_assessments": [ "Intermediary narrative, retained for methodological context and historical qualification, not as an independent measurement.", "Reviewed intermediary cited by IEA; not retained as separate supporting evidence and not used for disputed ownership chronology.", "Contemporaneous primary chronology check; not counted as an additional benefit evaluation.", "Uninspected upstream context; no claims are based solely on its search excerpt." ] } ] } }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Assessed who produced each account separately from whether it supplies original evidence.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "sources[].upstream_sources": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "origins": [ { "url": "https://www.pwc.com/zm/en/assets/pdf/zambia-mining-report-2024.pdf", "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001" ], "display_name": "Mfikeyi Makayi’s firsthand exploration account", "contribution": "The KoBold Africa CEO reports the role of data science in targeting copper grade and thickness and describes the prior exploration history.", "locator": "A First-Hand Perspective on Exploration, Part 2, pp. 20–22; Exploration at Mingomba subsection on p. 21.", "relationship": "Original firsthand company account within a PwC publication; publisher identity does not make the account independent." }, { "url": "https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/de9dea13-b07d-42c5-a398-d1b3ae17d866/EnergyandAI.pdf", "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "display_name": "IEA Energy and AI", "contribution": "Adds an intermediary description of targeted data collection, a 2020 Lubambe concept study, and the limits of interpreting the work as a new discovery.", "locator": "Box 3.2, pp. 121–122; Lobito bibliography entry on p. 286.", "relationship": "Intermediary narrative, retained for methodological context and historical qualification, not as an independent measurement." }, { "url": "https://www.lobitocorridor.org/post/2-billion-copper-mine-in-the-lobito-corridor-could-be-the-largest-discovery-in-100-years-in-zambi", "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "display_name": "Lobito Corridor article cited by the IEA", "contribution": "An upstream source for the IEA’s deposit description. It cautions against calling the project a new discovery but contains a 2018 acquisition assertion that conflicts with contemporaneous company material.", "locator": "Paragraphs about prior discovery and ownership; first published February 6, 2024, updated May 14, 2024.", "relationship": "Reviewed intermediary cited by IEA; not retained as separate supporting evidence and not used for disputed ownership chronology." }, { "url": "https://koboldmetals.com/2022/12/14/kobold-metals-announces-the-companys-150-million-mingomba-deposit-investment/", "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "display_name": "KoBold investment announcement", "contribution": "Confirms an announcement in December 2022 concerning investment in an existing named deposit.", "locator": "Dated headline and announcement paragraph.", "relationship": "Contemporaneous primary chronology check; not counted as an additional benefit evaluation." }, { "url": "https://www.azmec.co.zm/wp-content/uploads/Introducing-The-Lubambe-Extention-Project.pdf", "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "display_name": "Introducing the Lubambe Extension Project", "contribution": "Potential original context for the pre-KoBold exploration history. The underlying 2020 concept study itself was not obtained.", "locator": "Linked presentation; attempted retrieval returned server errors.", "relationship": "Uninspected upstream context; no claims are based solely on its search excerpt." } ], "review_scope": "Read Makayi’s original account in the downloaded PwC report and the IEA box and bibliography. Followed the IEA’s Lobito citation and checked the company’s contemporaneous investment announcement. Lead is the original deployer account. IEA is contextual and does not raise benefit confidence.", "access_limitations": [ "The original 2020 Lubambe concept study and raw exploration/model data were not available in this review.", "The accessible historical sources contain differing dates and quantities. The record does not reproduce copper-resource quantities, percentage efficiency claims, or a first-discovery date.", "No controlled comparison isolates AI’s contribution." ], "chronology_source": { "url": "https://www.pwc.com/zm/en/assets/pdf/zambia-mining-report-2024.pdf", "title": "Zambia 2024 Mining Report, third edition", "date": "2024-10", "basis": "Report cover states October 2024; the record uses month precision." }, "deployment_stage": "Exploration and resource characterization.", "limitations": "No quantified AI-specific savings, environmental gains, or new-discovery counterfactual is established.", "lead_source_ref": "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "retained_source_order": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "discovery_source": { "url": "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZDVVXiGeMcKJlq4F3GvvZALDtLliGeJtdDV6Zhr_p-0/edit#gid=0", "role": "Lead identification only; not independent benefit evidence." }, "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" } }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Traced the retained evidence to the reviewed original accounts and preserved shared origins, chronology, and access limits.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete", "display": { "answer": "The source review separates original evidence from repeated accounts and records material access limits." } }, "strategic_assessments[]": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial", "family": "strategic assessments" }, "summary": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "text", "text": "KoBold combined AI with geological expertise to characterize Mingomba; the sources do not isolate AI’s effect on discovery, costs, or environmental impact." }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Reviewed the qualified case account against the retained original sources and their specific contributions.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "systems[].autonomy_permissions": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "systems[].component_role": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "systems[].deployment_configuration": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "systems[].inputs_outputs": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "systems[].model_name": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "systems[].model_version": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "systems[].product_name": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "text", "text": "KoBold geological prediction and exploration systems" }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Reviewed the qualified case account against the retained original sources and their specific contributions.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "systems[].provider": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "taxonomy_crosswalks[]": { "state": "not_assessed", "review_state": "not_assessed", "coverage": "partial" }, "title": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "text", "text": "KoBold used AI to characterize the Mingomba copper deposit" }, "provenance": { "kind": "source_review", "basis": "Reviewed the qualified case account against the retained original sources and their specific contributions.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [ "AIBD-0587-source-0001", "AIBD-0587-source-0002" ], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "version": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "structured", "data": { "fingerprint": "ac6b524a8a78a6fcda2f5b90df79bec31e31935638bbf842e3cc178e36b3f402" } }, "provenance": { "kind": "derivation", "basis": "Computed the version from the normalized current core record.", "record_fields": [], "source_refs": [], "reviewed_on": "2026-10-27" }, "review_state": "reviewed", "coverage": "complete" }, "workflow": { "state": "value_present", "value": { "kind": "record_fields", "fields": { "account": "KoBold Africa chief executive Mfikeyi Makayi described work at Mingomba in a first-person account in PwC’s October 2024 Zambia mining report. She reported that data science helped the team target areas with substantial copper grade and thickness. The work combined historical exploration, drilling, geoscience, and computing. She also described decades of exploration before KoBold entered the project. The IEA later characterized the work as AI-assisted resource assessment. Neither account provides a controlled comparison or quantified AI-specific savings. Mingomba should not be presented as a deposit first discovered by AI.", "replication": { "produced_by": [ "Historical information, new drilling, data science, and geologists’ decisions were combined." ], "must_hold": [ "The reviewed sources do not establish causal conditions or an effect size for reproducing the benefit." ], "echoes": [] } } }, "provenance": { "kind": "curatorial", "basis": "Mapped from the new case record; this field has not received a separate field-level assessment.", "record_fields": [ "account", "replication" ], "source_refs": [] }, "review_state": "record_mapped", "coverage": "partial" } }, "summary": { "total": 91, "addressed": 91, "known": 33, "reviewed": 19, "reviewed_complete": 18, "reviewed_partial": 1, "record_mapped": 14, "review_not_assessed": 58, "not_assessed": 58, "complete": false, "by_state": { "value_present": 33, "not_reported": 0, "unresolved": 0, "not_assessed": 58, "not_applicable": 0, "withheld": 0, "source_unavailable": 0 } } } }