Innovation for the Mining of the Future
The 2025 MIT Chile Conference is jointly organized by MIT and Antofagasta Minerals, a leading Chilean mining company. Join us in Antofagasta or Santiago to explore the transformative impact of emerging technologies and automation on mining operations and the workforce.
Professor Brian Anthony will discuss the integration of data analytics and digital twins in smart manufacturing, advancing toward autonomous operations and real-time control systems powered by sensor data. These technologies are essential to enabling predictive maintenance, minimizing waste, and optimizing production in the mine of the future.
Professor Ben Armstrong will share research on how artificial intelligence and advanced technologies can improve the quality of jobs. He will highlight strategies for achieving “positive-sum automation,” where both firms and workers benefit from technological advancements.
The program will also feature insights from leading industry experts and innovative startups developing cutting-edge technologies that are shaping the future of mining.
Click here for Antofagasta registration - July 8, 2025
Click here for Santiago registration - July 10, 2025
Register here to access the livestream for both events
Enjoy Hotel, Av. Angamos N° 01455, 1272037, Antofagasta, Región de Antofagasta, Chile View Map
Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, Antofagasta Minerals S.A.
With over two decades of experience, René Aguilar’s core competencies lie in leading sustainability, social, environmental, health & safety, and corporate affairs strategies, currently serving as Vice President at Antofagasta Minerals. His mission is to drive sustainable practices that align with the organization’s goals and culture. His leadership is centered on developing strategies that not only comply with but exceed environmental and safety standards, ensuring that global operations, particularly in Chile and the Americas, uphold the highest levels of sustainability.
In his role at Antofagasta Minerals, Aguilar reports directly to the CEO and the Board's Sustainability Committee. He is responsible for the intricate coordination of sustainability efforts across operations and growth projects, as well as leading the company’s communications strategies. He brings a wealth of experience from his tenure at Anglo American, where he spearheaded the global safety vision and strategy, making significant contributions to the company’s worldwide commitment to safety and sustainable development.
Program Director, MIT Corporate Relations
Eduardo Garrido is a Program Director at the Office of Corporate Relations at MIT.
Eduardo Garrido has a strong multicultural and multidisciplinary background, with deep expertise in higher education, banking and management consulting, acquired in Argentina, Spain and USA. He currently serves as Program Director at the Industrial Liaison Program, Office of Corporate Relations (MIT), the largest conduit between corporations and MIT.
Before joining MIT, Eduardo was the Director of Santander Universities at Santander Bank, N.A., based in Boston, MA. In this role, he managed the institutional and business relationship with 46 universities, mainly in the northeastern US. He also served as Santander US representative at President Obama’s 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative and the Woman for Africa Foundation, among other relevant global higher education projects, and as Member of the Global President’s Council at NYU and the Advisory Boards of the Deming Cup, ECLA (Columbia University) and Newcastle University Business School.
Before coming to the US, Eduardo had several roles at Banco Santander Rio (Argentina). As Director of Santander Universities, he started the first entrepreneurship initiative at Grupo Santander worldwide, including the launching of a business plan competition, the Technology Innovation Venture Capital Fund, and a national competitiveness development initiative. He also sponsored the first edition of MIT 50K in Argentina. As Director of Organization and Quality at Banco Santander Rio, he led the team that obtained the first Global ISO 9001:2000 certificate for a financial institution in Latin America, certifying all main processes and areas of the bank. He also steered the business process reengineering project for the whole Bank, partnering with Ernst & Young and McKinsey and Co and implemented the Retail Banking new operating model.
Before joining Banco Santander Rio, Eduardo was Senior Manager of the Financial Services and Capital Markets Group at Price Waterhouse Management Consultants in Madrid, Spain. He was the Practice Leader of Business Process Reengineering, Financial Risk Management and Risk Adjusted Profitability Measurement.
Before his assignment at Price Waterhouse he served as Director of Consulting Services at MSA International, Inc. and as Financial Control Manager at Citibank España, S.A.
Eduardo graduated as Industrial Engineer at Universidad de Buenos Aires and has a MBA degree from IE Business School.
Associate Director, MIT.nano Director, Immersion Lab Co-Director, Advanced Manufacturing and Design Program Technology Director, MIT Center for Clinical and Translational Research
Dr. Anthony is an expert in designing instruments and techniques to monitor, measure, and control complex physical systems. His work integrates mechanical, electrical, and optical engineering with computer science and optimization to deliver innovative solutions across various manufacturing industries.
The core of Dr. Anthony’s research lies in computational instrumentation—the development of tools and methods to monitor and control intricate systems in fields like manufacturing and medical diagnostics. His work includes creating advanced measurement and instrumentation solutions for both manufacturing systems and medical imaging technologies.
Beyond academia, Dr. Anthony brings extensive experience in technology innovation, product realization, and business entrepreneurship, particularly at the convergence of information technology and advanced manufacturing. He has over 25 years of experience driving market-driven technology solutions from concept to commercialization. His achievements include winning an Emmy Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for broadcast technical innovation.
In the classroom, Dr. Anthony focuses on teaching the modeling of large-scale systems for decision-making across various domains. He is also deeply involved in developing optimization algorithms and software for analyzing and designing these systems. His dual experience in academia and industry positions him as a leader in translating cutting-edge research into practical, impactful technologies.
The manufacturing industry is undergoing a major transformation, shifting from automated to autonomous operations. This change promises to speed up the process of turning ideas into real, market-ready products. The key to making this happen is the integration of digital technologies, including sensors, data, computing power, and information systems.
At the heart of this shift are digital twins—virtual models that represent not just the products but also the materials, manufacturing processes, supply chains, and production lines. These digital replicas allow manufacturers to simulate, monitor, and improve operations in real-time using sensor data. By combining physical and digital worlds, digital twins help bridge the gap between designing a product and bringing it to life. When digital twins are combined with real-time control systems and machine learning, factories become smarter and more adaptive. Real-time data flows from sensors to digital models and ML algorithms, enabling predictive maintenance, reducing waste, and optimizing production. This connected ecosystem creates a highly efficient, data-driven manufacturing environment. We’ll explore real-world examples of these technologies in action and how they are shaping the future of manufacturing today.
Rudanac Biotech
Cuprochlor T
MIRS Robotics
Muonvision
Copper Foils
Ben Armstrong is the executive director of MIT’s Industrial Performance Center, where he co-leads the Work of the Future initiative. His research examines how workers, firms, and regions adapt to technological change. His current projects include a working group on generative AI, as well as a book on American manufacturing competitiveness. His work has been published or featured in academic and popular outlets including the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Sloan Management Review, Times Higher Education, the Boston Review, Daedalus, and Economic Development Quarterly. He received his PhD from MIT and formerly worked at Google Inc.
Despite concerns that new technologies will displace workers, the more common outcome is that they transform the jobs we do—and how we do them. The question is: how can we use these technologies to make work more enjoyable and more productive? Drawing on historical examples and recent data, MIT’s Ben Armstrong will outline strategies and opportunities for “positive-sum automation” that benefit both firms and workers.
Tecnologías Cobra
BCR
RIINO
Minesense
SiTration
W Hotel, Isidora Goyenechea 3000, 7550653 Las Condes, Región Metropolitana, Chile View Map
Chief Executive Officer, Antofagasta Minerals S.A.